Thursday, December 5

Restaurant worker arrested before attended Court to misused another person’s identity in UK


 

 

A Swansea restaurant worker claims he paid a solicitor £2,000 for help to stay in the UK without realising it would mean using the identity of somebody else due to his inability to read or write English, he told a court.

Nurul Islam is on trial at Swansea Crown Court charged with obtaining leave to remain in the United Kingdom by deception by using the name and date of birth of a man called Alaur Rahman in an application to the Home Office between May 26 and June 16, 2015.

The 39-year-old is also charged with being in possession of an identity document of improper mention a Bangladeshi passport relating to somebody else on May 27, 2015.

On day two of his trial, Islam took to the witness box to give evidence, with the assistance of a language translator.

He explained how he grew up in Bangladesh and had come to the UK in 2010, but is unable to speak English, or read or write in the language.

Answering questions from defence solicitor Dyfed Thomas, Islam gave some context into the reasons why he came to the United Kingdom, explaining he used to support the Bangladesh National Party, and would go on rallies to show his support.

Through this activity, he became aware that police were looking for him in his village, he told the court, and came to live with his aunt and uncle in Swansea.

He had been granted a Visa on May 20, 2010, to stay in the UK for six months, but overstayed in the country between 2010 and 2015 in the knowledge he was doing so illegally.

Whilst in the city, he explained he did “little jobs” where he worked at the West Cross Tandoori restaurant.

In 2015, the court heard he made an application in the name of Mr Rahman, whilst using his own photo and Swansea address details with the application.

On day one of the trial, the jury was told that Mr Rahman is a real person, from Birmingham, who had previously successfully and legitimately applied for an indefinite stay in the UK in 2002, and six years later, successfully obtained an actualisation as a British citizen in a legitimate application, and was issued a certificate subsequently.

Today, when asked by Mr Thomas whether he was aware that his application, for a no time limit indefinite leave, was being made for him with Mr Rahman’s name, Islam, of no fixed abode, said: “I didn’t know. A person I knew took me to the solicitors.”

The person Islam was referring to was a man called Sujan Ali Chowdhury, the court heard, whom he said he met whilst helping out at the restaurant, and became good friends with him, to the extent he’d refer to him as ‘cousin’.
Islam was taken to a solicitor named Sheikh Usman, who the court heard, in completely separate court proceedings, has since been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person.

Islam claimed Mr Chowdhury was instrumental in helping him get in touch with a solicitor with the intention of helping him with his application.

Islam added: “He was the one who said he would help me out and take me to the solicitors. All I did was sign a document.

“I didn’t think it was wrong because I was taken to a British solicitor and I didn’t think a legal person would do anything fraudulent.”

Islam revealed in order for the help, he paid £2,000 in five or six instalments.

“All they did was show me the document and said sign here, sign here,” he said.

“I could not read English so I did what I was instructed to do.

“I put my trust in solicitors and thought they would do everything in the correct way.”

The court heard Islam was arrested on June 10, 2016, when immigration officers visited West Cross Tandoori, and during their visit, he asserted he was Mr Rahman.

Explaining the reasons why he did so, he said: “I said that because they said to me the application was being done in a genuine way, and if anyone asks to tell them I was Alaur Rahman. I didn’t realise it was a false application.”

He was again arrested on September 14, 2019, at another restaurant, Dunvant Tandoori, where this time he claimed he was a man called Nadin Mohammed.

“I was so scared I just blurted out that name,” he said.

Prosecutor Tom Scapens revealed attempts had been made to locate Mr Chowdhury, including enlisting the help of South Wales Police, but nobody under that name could be located.

“I don’t know where he is, I don’t have any contact with him at all,” Islam said.

Mr Scapens asked: “Is he a real person?”

Islam responded: “Yes, he is.

“I gave money to Sujan Chowdhury and then went to the solicitors.”

Islam has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The trial continues.