Immigrant lived in Leeds illegally for nearly 20 years thanks to corrupt Home Office official

Desperate Abadat Ali, who is from Pakistan, then tried to feign mental illness by laying on the floor of the court during a previous hearing in a last-ditch effort to avoid justice. The 59-year-old was jailed for 15 months by a judge at Leeds Crown Court and told he is likely to be deported once released.

He was able to secure temporary visitor Visas in the early 2000s, but was then approached by an "agent" working on behalf of the Home Office worker to remain in the country indefinitely, if he paid a substantial fee. He was eventually arrested in 2022.

Judge Ray Singh said he had been "trying to pull the wool" for the best part of two decades and rubbished suggestions that he had been exploited. He told him: "You should have returned to Pakistan in 2006, but you chose to remain here and pay a significant amount of money to secure residence in this country.

"It was for your own personal benefit and you assumed a false identification. You continued that charade for 20 years. You told a whole host of lies in a false name. This is not exploitation. You maintained that falsehood and feigned mental illness, suggesting you were unfit to plea. You orchestrated bizarre behaviour and wasted court time."

Prosecutor David Hall said having paid the corrupt official for documents, he applied for asylum in 2013 under his new name - Jamil Ahmed - but was unsuccessful. He appealed but that was also rejected.

Even after his arrest in August 2022, Ali continued to maintain the false documents were genuine. Then having conducted his "bizarre behaviour" in court he also tried to "hoodwink" a psychiatrist, who later deemed him fit to plea. Ali, of Roundhay Road, Leeds, eventually admitted two counts of obtaining leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom by deception.

Mitigating, Fuad Arshad said: "The stark reality is that Mr Ali has been in England for the best part of two decades. He was approached by an agent when he was trying to remain here legally. He was told he had no prospect of success but was told if he paid this money they would sort it out for him. He got to the stage where he thought there was no life him outside of England. He is desperate to live in this country."