The confusion of a long distance Moroccan. Part two

Mystery man?

We don't have any information at all and we are unable to communicate in any way with the defendant before you - Solicitor Stephen Lloyd

Following on from our story yesterday about identity and nationality, I want to take you back to October last year when a small newspaper in Wales broke the story of a mystery man who had been arrested two weeks previously for trespass and burglary.

The local Magistrate was told that the authorities had no idea of his name, age, nationality, or even his language. The court at Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, was told he had broken into the same house three times, washed himself and cooked food, and stole a sewing kit. The man - referred to as the prisoner or defendant - was remanded in custody as no plea could be taken. Laura Carthew, prosecuting, said police had tried every means possible to identify or communicate with him. "A map of the world has been offered to the defendant with no response," she said and added that they had also presented him with flags from all the countries in the world, but this met with a similar response.

The man did break his silence once and spoke briefly in a language thought to be Amharic, but when a translator was called they said they did not understand him and had no clue to the dialect he was speaking. All of which was a bit of a problem for his lawyer, Stephen Lloyd, who said: "We don't have any information at all and we are unable to communicate in any way with the defendant before you."

The man, who appeared to be in his 30s with dark receding hair and olive skin had his fingerprints checked against the national database and the immigration records, to no avail.

The breakthrough in the case came more than a month later, after the case was transferred to the crown court as the man could not give his consent for a summary trial. An interpreter heard of the story on local TV and recognised that the prisoner was speaking a Berber language.

During his subsequent trial an amazing story emerged. Hassan Ibrahimi had left his remote Moroccan village to find work after an earthquake destroyed his home and killed his parents and brother. Working night and day in a restaurant, he raised £1,000 which he paid people-traffickers to smuggle him on a plane to France, where he thought he could get work. Instead, the traffickers dumped him out of a truck, without food or money in the Amman Valley in Wales. To add to Hassan's problems, the small town of Tycroes, where he found himself, is Welsh speaking!

Unable to speak Welsh or English and without money, Ibrahimi initially made a den in a hedge, but when he became cold and hungry he broke into a nearby house, taking groceries, clothing, a sewing kit and a toothbrush. On two other occasions, he returned to the same house. On one visit he was came face to face with the 65-year-old owner, who was so scared he went to stay with his brother nearby to recover - eventually he called the police.

In court, Llanelli magistrates heard he had been desperate for food and shelter, but said the offence was so serious only a custodial sentence would do. Hassan's solicitor Mike Reed had asked the court to conditionally discharge Ibrahimi. "This is a most exceptional case and I would ask you what you might have done in a similar situation," he told magistrates. He said his client had been interviewed yesterday by the immigration services and wanted to claim asylum.

But the magistrates ruled Ibrahimi came from a different continent, had no connection with the UK, could not speak the language, would have nowhere to stay and would be likely to re-offend when released. They said the time he has spent in custody since his arrest on 24 September would be taken into account.

The north African Berber tribesman launched a successful appeal that saw his 12-month jail term halved and he was freed from prison within days and was expected to meet immigration officials

However, just last week, he vanished without a trace. Immigration officers, who have stressed he is not a wanted man, said: "We were told of his successful appeal, but we do not know where he is," said an Immigration spokesman. "He has claimed asylum and his application is being looked at by the Home Office."

So today, spare a thought for Hassan and let's hope he is found and even more that he finds what he has worked so hard for. Ishallah.

See "Confusion of a long distance Moroccan - part one."

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news