Latest news with #HomeOffice
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Immigration court ruled a Sudanese asylum seeker with a deep voice and 'very hairy legs' was a child as physical attributes are 'not a useful indicator for age'
An immigration court has reportedly ruled a Sudanese asylum seeker as a child despite him having a 'deep voice' and 'very hairy legs'. The court's decision is said to have overruled a Home Office and council assessment who had claimed his physical appearance 'very strongly suggested' he was 'significantly over 18' and that he was likely to be around 24. But the upper tier of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber allegedly claimed these were not 'useful indicators' of a person's age and backed the asylum seeker's claims that he was aged 16. The Telegraph reported that the asylum seeker was said to have 'very mature hands with thick hair on his arms', a 'deep voice', a 'very mature face and beard', a 'receding hairline' and a 'pronounced Adam's apple'. They also say the court heard he had 'significant and deep lines on forehead that remain even when he is not making facial movements'. The asylum seeker, who was granted anonymity in the hearing, was reportedly visited by social services after arriving in the UK who said they believed he was an adult. However, it was alleged that there was a 'lack of care' in this visit and the court instead agreed with a later assessment which found he was 16 years old when he came to the country, boosting his chances of securing asylum. The asylum seeker arrived in the UK in December 2023 and told Home Office officials he was born on September 20, 2007. He said he fled Sudan due to war in the country and that he was afraid he would be kidnapped like three of his friends were. The asylum seeker said his mother and teachers at his school told him his date of birth, which the tribunal found was 'consistent' throughout the hearing. Upper Tribunal Judge Gemma Loughran said: 'We have reminded ourselves of the importance of not over-emphasising physical characteristics, but in any event having reviewed [photographs] we are satisfied they do not support their conclusions. We do not agree that the [asylum seeker] 'has a very mature face'. 'It is clear from the photographs that the [asylum seeker] did not have a beard or indeed any visible facial hair at all. We also note that the photograph of the applicant attached to the 'Age Assessment Self-Referral Form' does not show the [asylum seeker] as having any visible facial hair. 'We are not persuaded thick hair on a person's arms and legs is a useful indicator of age. We accept he has lines on his forehead. However, we do not consider they are either 'significant' or 'particularly deep'. Accordingly, we do not find we are assisted by [the] observations of [his] physical appearance.' Social workers last year made an assessment of the asylum seeker and found he was the age he had claimed to be. The social workers said: 'Based on the information available, we believe that the overwhelming evidence supports [the asylum seeker's] claimed age. 'We recognise that other professional judgments have deemed him to be over 18 years of age. However, most of this evidence is unreliable due to its content or lack of transparency concerning the processes undertaken when gathering this information, therefore we are unable to give their judgments significant weighting. 'There was no significant evidence collecting during our assessment interview that indicated [the asylum seeker] was older than his claimed age and we were able to address some of the concerns raised in the previous assessments, which [the asylum seeker] confidently and competently elaborated on to resolve.' Upper Tier Tribunal Judge Loughran added: 'In terms of our assessment, the applicant's physical appearance is of little value to our overall task, but we do not consider that the [asylum seeker]'s physical appearance provides material support for the respondent's conclusion that he is 8 years older than his claimed age.' The Home Office and council's assessment that he was an adult have been dismissed after the asylum seeker's date of birth was declared as September 20, 2007. The council will now foot the costs of the claim for judicial review.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
PCC supports calls to reclassify cannabis
A Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) says he "fully supports" calls to reclassify cannabis as a Class A drug. Police forces in the west and south west of England have been cracking down on people using recreational drugs, with Dorset PCC David Sidwick this week reiterating calls for cannabis to be upgraded. Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson says he has seen "first-hand" how cannabis cultivation and use are "deeply intertwined with a spectrum of criminal activities" in his county. The Home Office said it has "no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act". More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire "From anti-social behaviour and retail theft to more serious offences like modern slavery and human trafficking, cannabis often serves as a gateway drug and funding source for organised crime groups," said Mr Wilkinson. Recent operations targeting organised crime groups in Wiltshire resulted in more than 100kg (220lbs) of cannabis being seized. These took place as part of Operation Scorpion, a joint initiative by Avon & Somerset, Dorset, Devon & Cornwall, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire forces, aimed at disrupting drugs networks around the west and south west of England. Mr Wilkinson added: "The idea that cannabis is a harmless drug is a misconception. Its cultivation and distribution are often controlled by organised crime networks that exploit vulnerable individuals and perpetuate violence. "County lines operations are the clearest example of how drug-related crime has extended its tentacles into our rural towns and villages. The notion that drug-related crime is only an urban issue is outdated and dangerously naïve." He said a national drug policy "that recognises cannabis as the deeply harmful drug it is, and supports prevention, education, and treatment alongside policing" would "send a clear message about the seriousness of its impact on our communities". Mr Wilkinson asked members of the public to continue reporting "any crimes and intelligence from their communities" so action can be taken. A Home Office spokesperson said: "We will continue to work with partners across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use, ensure more people receive timely treatment and support, and make our streets and communities safer. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Experts criticise calls to re-classify cannabis Police crackdown on drug use in night-time economy Mayor backs report's call for cannabis law reform Wiltshire Police
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cleveland PCC riot compensation: 4.3% of claims paid so far
Of the £425,000 claimed in one region under the Riot Compensation Act following last summer's disorder, just over £18,000 - or 4.3% - has been paid out so Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) said of the 39 claims it had received, 16 had been paid in full and six had been found to be partially valid, leading to some said it was still processing some high value claims which would explain the "discrepancy" between the amount of money requested and the amount paid out.A spokesperson said the PCC's office is paying this cash from its own budgets due to a lack of government funding. The Home Office has been approached for comment. The Riot Compensation Act says victims of criminal damage during civil unrest in England and Wales are entitled to claim for losses, even if they are not insured or their insurance will not pay response to Freedom of Information requests, the offices of both the Cleveland and Northumbria PCCs revealed how many compensation claims had been made to them under the claims were made from Hartlepool, whereas 11 were made from Sunderland and 35 from PCC also said how much had been claimed as well as the amount it had paid out so said decisions for 13 claims were still to be made after two others were withdrawn and two rejected. But Northumbria PCC declined to provide similar statistics because it said it would publish this data online in "due course". Cleveland PCC said some affected by the riots may have received money from their insurance and so would not have needed the compensation said it had faced delays in processing claims for several reasons including needing more information from claimants.A spokesperson also said the Home Office had not provided it with any extra staff to help process compensation requests. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Neurodivergent people overreported to UK anti-extremism programmes, charity says
The treatment of people with autism who are referred to the government's Prevent scheme is to be challenged. A human rights charity has written to Yvette Cooper claiming that Prevent, as well as Channel, the multi-agency follow-on programme, which both seek to identify people at risk of extremism, are overreporting neurodivergent people in breach of equality laws. There are concerns that autistic people are being referred to the authorities due to a lack of healthcare provision. In a pre-action letter to the Home Office, Rights & Security International (RSI) has warned that it remains 'deeply concerned about a potential ongoing failure to collect and analyse data on the protected characteristics of those referred to Prevent and that this constitutes an ongoing failure to comply with their public sector equality duty'. The letter states that a 2021 internal Home Office analysis obtained under the Freedom of Information Act found that more than a quarter of those receiving deradicalisation support from the Channel programme had either been diagnosed or had a suspected diagnosis of autism. The Channel programme is for the most serious cases where there is a 'genuine risk' of radicalisation. Having obtained previously undisclosed Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) carried out in 2023, RSI is concerned that the government is not adequately addressing the risk of 'overreporting' autistic people. Sarah St Vincent, executive director of RSI, said the documents suggest the government is taking a 'casual and even careless approach' to understanding the impact of Prevent on autistic people. 'The government needs to seriously rethink its approach to the Prevent programme, and in the meantime, authorities need to properly monitor the programme's equality impact,' she said. RSI argues that the 2021 report, entitled Autism Spectrum Condition: Support within the Channel Process, raises concerns about the potential discriminatory impact of the programme on autistic people. The report said: 'Survey findings indicate that an estimated 14% of Channel cases had diagnosed Autism Spectrum Condition. In 12% of cases Channel practitioners considered that someone might be autistic although they lacked the clinic diagnosis.' In legal correspondence with RSI, the Home Office has indicated that data about the protected characteristics of referred persons is often not available. It said existing Prevent and Channel data does not allow for a comprehensive analysis of all protected characteristics of individuals referred. RSI has argued that the failure to collect adequate data to support equality monitoring constitutes a breach of the home secretary and police's Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). PSED is the requirement to have 'due regard' to the equality objectives in section 149 of the Equality Act, which include the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share protected characteristics and those who do not. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion As part of its letter, the human rights organisation has asked for a formal Alternative Dispute Resolution meeting to try to resolve its concerns. Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has voiced his concerns that a 'staggeringly high' number of autistic people are referred to Prevent. He has cited terrorism cases in which the defendants were autistic, including 17-year-old Lloyd Gunton, who declared himself an Islamic State soldier and was sentenced to life in prison for preparing a vehicle and knife attack in Cardiff in 2018. Carolin Ott, a senior associate solicitor in Leigh Day's human rights department, which represents RSI, said: 'There is an ongoing debate about the appropriateness of the Prevent programme and its potentially disproportionate impact on minority groups. Our client believes that the data it has obtained bolsters its argument that the government needs to change its approach.' The Home Office has been approached for comment.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Police let class A drug users walk free
Half of class A drug users are let off by police without punishment, official figures show. Some 48.1 per cent of people caught in possession of hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, were let off without any criminal sanction, Home Office data analysed by The Telegraph reveals. It represents a six-fold increase in drug users escaping prosecution since 2016, when the proportion was only 7.5 per cent. In some forces, more than 80 per cent caught with cocaine, heroin or other class A drugs escaped any criminal punishment. They were instead handed community resolutions, which do not result in a criminal record and only require an offender to accept 'responsibility' for their crime, or were let off 'in the public interest'. Only a third of class A drug possession offences resulted in a charge. The data reflects a shift by police to treat drug possession of any type as a health issue rather than criminal one and comes days after Sir Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, called for possession of small amounts of natural cannabis to be decriminalised. But critics have warned police against 'decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences'. At least a quarter of the 43 police forces in England and Wales have adopted 'diversion' schemes where users caught with small amounts of drugs like cannabis are 'diverted' to treatment or education programmes rather than prosecuted, particularly for first-time offences. Nearly three-quarters (72.1 per cent) of those caught in possession of cannabis were let off without any criminal sanctions. Thames Valley, West Midlands and Durham are among the dozen forces to have adopted diversion schemes, which could be rolled out nationally if successful. The Treasury and Cabinet Office have put £1.9 million into evaluating the approach in partnership with five universities, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, the standards body for forces in England and Wales. The College said the aim of the diversion scheme was to 'reduce re-offending and wider harms by approaching substance use as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue'. The research will compare re-offending rates, hospital and treatment admissions with the aim of establishing 'whether and how drug diversion works, for whom, when and why'. 'Devastated by soft policy' But Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, warned the move amounted to decriminalisation by stealth. 'Parliament has rightly legislated that certain drugs are illegal because they cause serious harm to health, lead to antisocial behaviour and fuel acquisitive crime like theft, burglary and shoplifting as addicts steal to fund buying drugs,' he said. 'Police should not be decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences. People who break the law should be prosecuted, and a magistrate or judge can decide what to do. 'Options a magistrate has available include fines, community service and addiction treatment requirements as well as prison. 'We have seen many US and Canadian cities devastated by soft drugs policies. These have allowed ghettos to develop where zombified addicts loiter unpunished and law abiding members of the public fear to go. We can't allow the UK to go the same way through weak policing. 'We need a zero tolerance approach to crime, including a zero tolerance approach to drug taking.' But the College of Policing defended approach and pointed to research, based on 16 different studies, that showed drug diversion had resulted in a 'small but significant' reduction in drug use, particularly among young people. The Telegraph analysis showed that Warwickshire had the lowest proportion of offenders caught with class A drugs who were let off, at just 9.2 per cent, while Dyfed Powys had the highest at 88.6 per cent.
