Overview
- Canterbury Crown Court sentenced the 48-year-old to two years and three months for attempting to arrive without valid entry clearance.
- He pleaded guilty at Thanet Magistrates' Court on 23 September after being intercepted off Dover on 19 September.
- An RNLI lifeboat intercepted the small boat off the coast, and Immigration Enforcement later interviewed him at Margate, where he declined to comment.
- Hamad first came to the UK in 2001 with indefinite leave to remain, was convicted in absentia of terrorism offences in Italy in 2019, and was extradited there in 2020 to serve a sentence.
- After a refused UK visa following his release from Italy, he paid €1,200 for a place on the crossing, according to the CPS, which highlighted ongoing efforts to disrupt people-smuggling networks.