Overview
- He was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to two years and three months for attempting to arrive without valid entry clearance.
- Rebwar Hamad, 48, arrived by small boat on 19 September 2025, with the vessel intercepted by an RNLI lifeboat off Dover.
- He pleaded guilty on 23 September at Thanet Magistrates’ Court to the illegal entry offence.
- Hamad first came to the UK in 2001 with indefinite leave to remain, was convicted in his absence of terrorism offences in Italy in 2019, and was extradited in 2020 to serve that sentence.
- After his Italian sentence he was told to leave, had a UK visa refused, paid €1,200 to join the crossing, and was later investigated by Immigration Enforcement as the CPS pledged continued action against people-smuggling networks.