Eritrean migrant 'who posed as a 17-year-old boy to claim asylum in UK was unmasked as an adult after wife posted wedding picture on Facebook'
- The man, known as LS, reached Dover by dinghy and claimed asylum in the UK
- He crossed the Channel from France, having travelled from Eritrea in East Africa
- Council officials in Brent, North West London, were told he was born in 2003
- But a wedding picture and his deep voice and facial features have raised doubts
An Eritrean boat migrant who claimed to be a 17-year-old boy was unmasked to UK authorities after his wife shared a wedding photo on Facebook.
The man, known as LS, reached Dover by dinghy and claimed asylum, a tribunal heard.
Originally from the East African country of Eritrea, the migrant made the perilous Channel crossing and told UK authorities upon arrival that he had been born in 2003.
His deep voice and facial feature, however, raised suspicions for council officials in Brent, North West London, according to The Sun.
The Eritrean migrant has been asked to hand over his marriage certificate.
Council officials in Brent, North West London, doubted the Eritrean migrant was a 17-year-old boy - as he had claimed - due to his deep voice and facial features
Judge John Keith said: 'I have little doubt that the certificate will reveal the applicant’s age.'
The judge ruled LS is likely to be five years older than claimed.
A final decision is still to be made.
More than 1,100 migrants who claimed to be under 18 were found to be adults in the 12 months to September 2021, according to Home Office data.
Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tougher border controls, suggested people traffickers were encouraging migrants to pretend to be children for special privileges.
A 2021 report by the campaign group warned that false age claims could also lead to the dangerous situation of adults being placed alongside vulnerable young people in schools and housing.
More than 1,100 migrants who claimed to be under 18 were found to be adults in the 12 months to September 2021, according to Home Office data
The group's chairman, Alp Mehmet, said: 'The asylum system is so open to abuse that adults claiming to be children can be given the benefit of the doubt and be placed among minors in both accommodation and schools.
'The risks to the safety of our children are obvious.
'It is high time the Government stopped pandering to the immigration industry and dealt with adult migrants as such and not as what they claim to be.'
Migrants who claim to be underage receive better housing and support, a more sympathetic hearing for their asylum claim and are less likely to be detained.
Each lone child migrant looked after by a local authority costs taxpayers £46,000 a year.
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