UK immigration officers deny stealing cash from 'small boat' migrants

Prosecutor says defendants agreed via WhatsApp to exploit migrants

A sign informs visitors of the immigration removal centre in Middlesex, Britain, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Gerhard Mey/File Photo

Five British immigration officers on Thursday pleaded not guilty to misconduct in public office and conspiracy to steal from migrants who had arrived in Britain on small boats, ahead of a trial in January 2028.

John Bernthal, 53, Ben Edwardes, 45, Lee-Ann Evanson, 42, Besmir Matera, 36, and Jack Mitchell, 33, are charged with stealing from migrants from August 2021 to November 2022.

All five are also charged with one count of misconduct in public office and one count of money laundering.

A sixth defendant, 43-year-old David Grundy, is charged with one count of money laundering. All six defendants entered not guilty pleas at London's Southwark Crown Court.

Matera is also charged with obtaining leave to enter or remain in Britain by deception and possession of three identity documents – a British passport and full and provisional driving licences – in a false name, which he denies.

The six all worked as immigration officers on Britain's south coast, dealing with migrants arriving on small boats.

The crossings of small boats carrying migrants from France, the most visible sign of arrivals, have become a focal point for British voters and has helped propel Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party into an opinion poll lead.

Prosecutor Lyndon Harris said Matera was arrested in relation to the immigration offences in October 2022 and WhatsApp messages were found which showed the defendants "discussing and forming an agreement to steal from migrants".

He added that the total alleged to be stolen was unclear, but was "in the hundreds of thousands" of pounds.