after we gave him £3,000 to go back to Algeria
By Rebecca Camber
Last updated at 1:21 AM on 1st January 2011
He has been branded a one-man crimewave. And despite all attempts at deportation, including being given £3,000 by the Government, he is still here.
Hakim Benmakhlouf, 29, a prolific thief is facing deportation for the fifth time after being arrested for stealing at Heathrow Airport.
He was held after officers found him and two other men, loading a car near Terminal 4 with designer luggage worth thousands of pounds stolen from passengers.
Back again: Prolific Algerian bag thief Hakim Benmakhlouf, caught here on CCTV while stealing at a central London hotel, has crept back into Britain
The father-of-two, who has a string of convictions for stealing from rich tourists at five-star hotels and airports, was confronted along with his two accomplices aged 41 and 29, after being spotted by officers on Thursday afternoon.
The reappearance of the Algerian is a huge embarrassment for the Home Office, which has successively failed to keep him out of the country over a period of three years. An inquiry is being launched into how the prolific bag snatcher, who has 12 aliases, was able to make a mockery of Britain’s border controls yet again.
Benmakhlouf was last deported in July 2010 after being arrested in March at the same car park at Heathrow – a favourite hunting ground for the thief who preys on rich holidaymakers.
Back again: Hakim Benmakhlouf
The former rent boy is described by police as one of the most skilful bag-snatchers ever seen.
THE CRIMEWAVE TIMELINE
July 2007 Benmakhlouf was first thrown out of the UK when he was released early from a three-and-a-half year jail term for theft.
July 2007 Within 24 hours of being flown back to Algeria he was back within 24 hours
April 2008 Arrested again for series of thefts and jailed for another three years
March 2009 Flown back home after serving third of jail sentence but sneaked back in days later
January 2010 Flown back home again
March 2010 Spotted in Heathrow Airport and when confronted by police kicked an officer in the mouth
April 2010 Jailed for six months for assault
July 2010 Deported
Present Has crept back into Britain and was held last night on suspicion of theft
With a ready supply of bogus passports, he is equally adept at slipping through Britain’s borders.
Benmakhlouf was first thrown out of the UK in July 2007 when he was released early from a three-and-a-half year jail term for theft.
The conman, who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle with a home in St John’s Wood, North West London, and a collection of expensive designer clothes, was offered £3,000 in ‘repatriation expenses’ and flown back to Algeria. But he was back, via Eurostar, within 24 hours.
In April 2008 he was arrested again for a series of thefts and jailed for another three years.
In March 2009, after serving just a third of his sentence, Benmakhlouf was again flown home at taxpayers’ expense. But he sneaked back days later, only to be sent back in January 2010. On March 20 last year Benmakhlouf was spotted on CCTV at Heathrow.
Not only was he in breach of the deportation order but also of an Asbo banning him from the airport.
When he was confronted by police there was a struggle and he kicked one of the officers in the mouth, cutting his lip.
Benmakhlouf received a six month sentence for assault in April at Isleworth Crown Court where Judge Andrew McDowall told him: ‘It is to be hoped this defendant will be removed and not clutter our prisons for any longer than is necessary.’ After serving half of his sentence he was deported in July.
Somehow, Benmakhlouf found his way back into the UK again and last night was being held on suspicion of theft.
A spokesman for the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘It’s ridiculous that this has been allowed to happen yet again. Every time an error is made it costs the taxpayer.
‘Procedures and security need to be far more robust to ensure that criminals are not allowed back into the UK.’
A UK Border Agency spokesman said: ‘Those who come to the UK and break the rules will not be tolerated.
‘Foreign nationals are subject to the same legal processes as anyone else in the United Kingdom and we always seek to remove them at the earliest possible opportunity.
‘The Government is strengthening security, including creating a border police force, to stop people entering the country illegally.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343171/One-man-crimewave-Bag-thief-faces-deportation-FIFTH-time--gave-3-000-to-Algeria.html#ixzz19k9jwFB7
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