Latest news with #YoussefHassan
Daily Mail
01-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Con artist who kept vulnerable and disabled pensioners on the phone for hours so fraud gang could fleece them of their £186,000 life savings is jailed
A female con artist who helped crooks fleece disabled pensioners out of £186,000 by keeping them on the phone for hours in bank scam call plot has been jailed. Shameless Lydia Cunningham wept in the dock as she was sentenced to almost four years behind bars for being the ringleader of the criminal racket. The 28-year-old, operating with fellow cheat Youssef Hassan, 20, was part of a gang that deliberately targeted 26 vulnerable victims - including an 84-year-old who was caring for her son with stage four lung cancer. The trickster, who lives in leafy street in Hampton, Richmond upon Thames, would call pensioners claiming to be from their bank before arranging to steal their savings. Cunningham kept some of her victims on the phone for up to 12 hours while her fake 'couriers' - which included John Burgess, 27, and Hassan - turned up to collect their bank cards before draining them of cash. The gang was busted after Hassan was arrested in Twickenham, west London on February 1, 2024, having led police on a 90mph chase while high on cannabis. Cunningham and Hassan admitted conspiracy to acquire or use criminal property, namely a mobile and cash, between June 2023 and June 2024. Hassan also admitted dangerous driving. Burgess, was also charged with conspiracy to acquire or use criminal property, but hanged himself in prison earlier this year, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Cunningham, of sobbed as prosecutor Jonathan Loades described how she 'played the lead role and was involved in all almost all the communications with the victims in the crime'. 'She was described as keeping victims on the phone for hours and hours,' Mr Loades told the court. 'One victim said she kept them in the phone for 12 hours. 'This was partly to prevent the victim from making calls to the bank, and was part of the relatively sophisticated enterprise. 'Hassan's principal role was to act as a courier to go to people's houses and take from them the phones and the bank card they were willing to provide. 'Hassan was sent many miles away to collect the items as directed by Cunningham. 'Simply put, the victim was telephoned often by Cunningham, claiming to be representative of a bank. 'Cunningham had access to a number of phones and sim cards were regularly swapped between handsets. 'She claimed their bank details were comprised, and told them to place items in an envelope to wait collection by a courier.' Mr Loades said the callous cohort of crooks had clearly picked their targets, targeting some of the most vulnerable in society. 'I don't think there was anybody who was not targeted in this case who was not elderly,' the prosecutor added. Mr Loades told the court how the fraudsters targeted a 70-year-old disabled man. 'Cunningham pretended she was calling from NatWest and tried to convince the disabled man to go to Canary Wharf that evening to hand in his card.' he said. 'She told the man she could arrange for a private courier service to hand over the cards if he could not make the journey.' Mr Loades said on another occasion a 'white male' turned up at an elderly's woman's home after Cunningham called up posing as a bank worker. 'The victim said Cunningham kept her on the phone all day, and directed her to transfer the money. 'She thought she had about £12,000 on one card, which was completely wiped.' The victim told police: 'At the time, I was caring for my daughter, who has cerebral palsy. I was very stressed... I now find it hard to trust people.' Cunningham also conned a 73-year-old man after telling her she was 'Josie Hannah from NatWest,' said Mr Loades. 'Cunningham explained that her bank cards had been used fraudulently, and needed to be replaced. 'She convinced the victim. Hassan then turned up, and £46,000 was taken from the victim's account. Mr Loades told the court an 84-year-old woman was targeted while caring for her son who had stage four lung cancer at the time. She said: 'This has made me extremely anxious, even in my own home.' Another victim was conned into giving 'tens of thousands of pounds worth' of jewellery, the court heard. She said in a victim impact statement: 'I feel violated. I felt like my body did not belong to me. 'I've struggled to sleep. I feel like a wreck because of this.' Tom Edwards, defending Cunningham, said: 'There are clearly people providing the information on how to contact the victims, who must have prior nature of the victim's circumstances. 'Although she was seen on shops using the victim's bank cards, she was not a primary recipient of all the money. 'She is still a young woman, and does not have a significant criminal history.' Mark Stevens, defending Hassan, said: 'There are others alleged to have been involved, but it is not the case that Hassan was involved in each and every occasion.' Before sentencing remarks, Hassan shouted at the press box: 'Get out. I don't want my name everywhere' and gestured to the door. Passing sentence, the judge Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: 'This was a courier fraud deliberately targeting elderly, vulnerable victims, some of whom were disabled. 'The victims were giving the choice of accepting the courier or taking the items to Canary Wharf, a location deliberately selected knowing it was a difficult place for an elderly person to get to. Recorder Darlow KC told Cunningham: 'I am satisfied you played a leading role. You kept your victims on the phone for hours, sometimes even for 12 hours, and that was pure cunning on your part.' She told Hassan: 'You were lower down the hierarchy, but you still played a significant role. 'You were cruelly fooling vulnerable elderly individuals. 'The offending was sophisticated over a prolonged period of time. 'You knew the personal details of the victim, which inspired confidence in them trusting you. 'That information could only have come from secure sources. 'These were ruthless crime plundered by you and your conspirators, emptying bank accounts, and frittering away huge sums of money. 'Your victims have been left feeling vulnerable in the one place they should feel safe, in their own homes. 'Savings accumulated over years of hard work were simply wiped out. The judge jailed Cunningham for 46 months, and ordered her to pay back £1950.70. Hassan was jailed for 30 months, and was disqualified from driving for 21 months. Hassan of Westminster, London, has previous convictions for seven offences of robbery, driving offences and assault by beating of an emergency worker.
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Grinning small boat migrant chronicles his journey across the Channel to the UK - as he films himself celebrating on Blackpool beach after illegally crossing into Britain
A small boat migrant who was helped across the Channel by the French authorities is documenting his 'best life' in Britain on TikTok. Shocking footage filmed by the migrant and posted on the social media platform showed him on a small boat with around 20 other men being given bottles of water by the French coastguard. The group of around 30 men cheer, wave and hold out their hands in thanks to the French boat which travels right next to them to hand over the water. Despite crossings being against the law - and often deadly - the coastguard made no attempt to stop the boat or urge them to return. It was posted on the TikTok of an account of a man, believed to be from Iraq, called Youssef Hassan. He has more than 5,000 followers. The footage of the crossing was posted this week and clearly shows him holding his phone in a selfie position. Another video sees him on the same small boat talking to the camera with people on the boat with him. Young children can be seen in the centre of the boat. His TikTok now shows him enjoying living in Blackpool, Lancashire. The social media giant has been accused of being an 'online travel agent for illegal crossings'. His profile has the phrase: 'I live in peace and I post videos that I shoot for myself and for my personal page. Greetings to everyone.' He has posted numerous videos of him enjoying his time in the Lancashire town, including the iconic Blackpool Tower. He is believed to have travelled through Germany for the boat crossing. He posted videos of him last month in the country. Videos from Blackpool started this month, and include shots of him outside an amusement arcade. One follower urged him to return to Iraq and wrote: 'Go back to your family, living abroad is hard. There is nothing better than Iraq, I swear.' But others wished him well, writing: 'May God protect you, my dear Youssef. Congratulations on your arrival in Britain. God willing your dreams will come true. May God ease your mind and your future. You deserve all the best, my brother.' The migrant was with a group of around 30 men seen cheering, waving and holding out their hands in thanks to the French boat which travels right next to them to hand over the water He replied: 'You are my soul.' Other clips show him outside the Coral Island children's amusement centre in Blackpool. Each has thousands of views. On the clip featuring him on the boat, some followers question how easy and safe it is to make it to Britain on a small boat. One follower boasted how easy it is. He wrote: 'My brother, you will reach Britain, and Britain does not allow rejection and does not allow deportation. 'The English language and work are all Iraqis and it is the best country and trust.' Another commented him to say: 'May God protect you, my dear Youssef. Congratulations on your arrival in Britain. God willing, your dreams will come true. 'May God ease your mind and your future. You deserve all the best, my brother.' Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'TikTok is basically an online travel agent for illegal crossings. How on earth is this allowed? 'It's just an online advert to say come to Britain, it's easy and you'll have a great life. It's very worrying.' One source said: 'It looks like this guy is living his best life here in Britain. It's sticking two fingers up to the authorities. 'Not only was he basically helped to get here, he's now living a very good life.' According to the latest government figures at least 21,000 people have embarked on the perilous journey across the Channel since January, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. Earlier this month, Keir Starmer announced a new pilot scheme that will see migrants arriving via small boat being detained and returned to France. A one-in, one-out system will operate with migrants sent back to France in exchange for asylum seekers. But the scheme could be canned if it is found to be ineffective. The new scheme has been condemned by campaigners, who said they would support court cases brought by small-boat arrivals chosen to be sent back to France. A border union boss said the legal challenges could take a year. Brussels ominously warned that it was assessing whether the scheme complied with the 'spirit and the letter of the law', while governments including Italy were said to be harbouring 'huge doubts' about its legality. Meanwhile Home Secretary Yvette Cooper refused to say how many of the thousands arriving by dinghy will be removed under the pilot scheme, amid fears it could be even fewer than the 50 a week suggested by French officials. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Mail: 'This pathetic arrangement may be sunk by legal challenges from activist lawyers and irresponsible charities who want to facilitate illegal immigration into the UK. 'With illegal immigration across the Channel so far this year hitting record levels, Keir Starmer must now be bitterly regretting his foolish decision to cancel the Rwanda deterrent scheme before it even started. 'After two years of legal challenges and legislation, the scheme was ready to go, but Starmer cancelled it just days before the first plane was due to take off last July. 'This would have enabled 100 per cent of the illegal immigrants to be immediately removed without judicial interference. 'The boats would soon have stopped. But Starmer is too weak and too mentally enslaved by his human rights lawyer friends to do what is needed to protect our country's borders.' Downing Street insisted the controversial 'one in, one out' agreement was legally sound and that Brussels supported it. But fearing that returned migrants could head to Italy, the country's interior minister told Sky News: 'We know the EU Commission is still evaluating the agreement, and EU countries, including us, have huge doubts about security and legal aspects of the deal.' It has been a decade since a sporadic number of boats with migrants on board arriving off the Kent coast from France was reported in the media. At the time, the focus was mainly on the thousands of attempts by migrants in northern France, who were attempting to stowaway on lorries and ferries to the UK. In the nearby Calais Jungle thousands of people, including children, were living under canvass in a camp which was later cleared by the French authorities. But as security was tightened around the ports and Eurotunnel, within three years, significant numbers were using small boats instead to make the dangerous crossing. The cost for a single small boat journey can cost upwards of £1,500 for a single person with no guarantee that the journey will be a success.
Daily Tribune
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
A night of French and Arabic poetry reading
A French-Arabic poetry night celebrating heritage took place on February 25, 8pm, at Mashq Art Space (Bu Quwah). Hosted by the French Embassy in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the support of Mashq Art Space, the 9th edition of the 'Nights of Reading' was a haven for poetic souls, celebrating the beauty of Bahraini and French heritage. The audience was taken on a journey through a collection of poems by renowned French writers such as Victor Hugo, as well as works by acclaimed Bahraini poets such as Youssef Hassan. The interplay of poems read in French and Arabic, explored the cultural heritage of both countries, whether built, intangible or natural. Text to life Performers Fatima Mohsen and Dr. Mohammed Khlifi brought the text to life through their personal and lively renditions of the selected pieces. Hassan Haddad played along and complemented each poem to the sound of oud, offering a captivating interweaving of music and poetry. The event attracted an audience ranging from poetry enthusiasts, literature professors, and authors including the renowned Bahraini poet Dr. Alawi al-Hashimi, who concluded the night with a reading of one of his poems on heritage. Mutual understanding and cultural dialogue The First Councellor and Cultural Advisor of the French embassy, Marie-Laure Charrier, said: 'The Reading Nights foster mutual understanding and cultural dialogue. They take place all over the world in our French embassies and cultural centers. They give a space where words go beyond borders. Reading opens up an inner space that escapes the constraints, contingencies and challenges of our time'. The 'Nuits de la Lecture' (Reading Nights) is a worldwide annual event hosted by French embassies and cultural centers on the initiative of the French Ministry of Culture and the Centre National du Livre (Book National Centre). For more information, please reach out to Bastien Rafel, cultural attache at the French Embassy. Whatsapp : +336 5271 3419
