People smuggler living in county unacceptable, MP says

A Leicestershire MP says it is "utterly unacceptable" that a convicted people smuggler, once described as the "godfather" of French migrant camps, is living in the county and believed to be seeking asylum while working illegally.

A BBC investigation traced Twana Jamal to Blaby and found two mini-marts linked to him.

South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa, whose constituency office is next door to one of the shops, said he had contacted Leicestershire Police to ask what the force intends to do with the information and would be raising the issue with the Home Office.

"Let's be clear this man should not be in Blaby, should not be in this country," he said.

The Conservative MP has urged the people of Blaby to stay away from the shops linked to Jamal.

"He is a convicted human trafficker and the fact that he's come to our home, to Blaby, in our local community, and is exploiting the system by working apparently illegally because he doesn't have any settled status here, is utterly unacceptable," he said.

"The fact that he's actually opened a business next door to a member of parliament's constituency office speaks volumes about the character of this individual."

Jamal was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016, where authorities described him as one of the most successful people smugglers ever caught.

Prosecutors said the Iraqi Kurd, who was 36 at the time, had earned up to £100,000 a week for moving illegal immigrants across the Channel.

After Jamal told the BBC investigation team he was now based in Leicester, reporters looked at companies in the area that might be linked to him and found the two mini-marts in Blaby.

Reporters witnessed him working, driving a car without a licence and apparently using a false name.

When the team confronted Jamal, he said he had never had any involvement in people smuggling, had not been jailed in France and claimed to have been in the UK since 2009.

But when shown a picture of him in a French courtroom in 2016, he did not deny it was him.

Jamal also denied he was working at the mini-mart despite having been seen by reporters behind the till, as well as moving stock in and out of the store.

Asked whether he had ever come across Jamal, or had any concerns or suspicions about the mini-mart next door to his office, Costa said: "I have not come across this individual and I am asking my team who operate in this office whether they or any constituents that they are aware of have come across this individual.

"But the point is this individual should not be here and the people that should answer this are the Home Office.

"What has gone wrong in the Home Office to have allowed this convicted human trafficker to have even claimed asylum in this country?"

The Home Office said: "All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks."

Paul Hartshorn, a Liberal Democrat councillor from Blaby District Council who sits on the authority's licensing and regulatory committee, said an "awful lot" of people had contacted him with concerns following the BBC's investigation.

"People are understandably concerned about what they're reading in this BBC News article", Hartshorn said.

"I'm really disappointed that somebody like this is able to live in our country, work in our country, and trade in our country. I think everybody is really upset about that."

Leicestershire and Rutland's Reform UK police and crime commissioner, Rupert Matthews has called for calm.

"I understand that everyone wants to feel safe in their communities, it is important to us all," he said.

"I have every faith in the chief constable and his team that public safety will be prioritised and that they will take action if a crime has been committed.

"I would appeal to our communities for calm. Violence cannot be condoned in any form."

Leicestershire Police said: "We are aware of a BBC report published today [Thursday 2 July] concerning an individual living in Leicestershire.

"The force is engaging with partners from the Home Office, local authority and other agencies regarding the information included in the report."