Fugitive migrant Azizadeen Alsheikh Suliman fled to UK after sexually assaulting a girl in Germany (Image: DM)
A hotel migrant who fled to Britain after sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in Germany is fighting deportation on human rights grounds, reports the Daily Mail. Azizadeen Alsheikh Suliman, 31, who left Syria after being shot in the foot, crossed the Channel by boat and gave a false spelling of his name before being given taxpayer-funded accommodation at a hotel in an upmarket Cheshire suburb, a court heard.
Last October, Suliman was identified as a fugitive and he was held under a European Arrest Warrant – sparking fury from the local council, police and MP who complained of being kept “in the dark”. The scandal comes amid rising fears about the UK’s porous borders and the lack of checks on migrants’ backgrounds, with many allowed in despite convictions for serious crimes.
Suliman appeared in court last week where he claimed a tribal feud in Syria which had spilled over into Germany meant his life would be at risk if he was sent back there. However, lawyers representing the German authorities said his explanation “doesn’t stand up to scrutiny”. A judge will now decide whether deporting Suliman would breach his human rights.
‘Needs to be kicked out’
Robert Jenrick, who this week defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK over issues including rising immigration, told the Daily Mail: “This despicable individual needs to be kicked out of the country immediately.
“It’s appalling that taxpayer money was funding the cushy lifestyle of a child abuser. Disgusting cases like this will only end when we leave the ECHR and grow a backbone and force other countries to take their criminals back.”
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Suliman convicted of sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl in Germany
Suliman was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl he encountered following an alcohol-fuelled night out in the German city of Osnabrück in 2022. According to German court documents, he touched her bare stomach beneath her crop top, gave her cannabis, and attempted to kiss her. When she rejected his advances, he prevented her from passing him and touched her indecently against her will.
Facing possible imprisonment after stopping payment of a financial order imposed by the German courts, Suliman fled to Britain where he claimed asylum. Along with his wife – a fellow asylum seeker who he married in Nigeria – and newborn baby son, he was given taxpayer-funded accommodation at the Britannia Ashley Hotel in Hale, Greater Manchester.
Aided by an Arabic interpreter, bearded Suliman told the extradition hearing that he is being threatened by rival family members who had also settled in Germany. He said he was from a “huge tribe” in Syria and his family there was “always in conflict and in revenge” with rival groups.
Suliman’s pregnant wife, wearing a burgundy burqa, told the court she had left Syria in 2022 after her father and two siblings were killed in a bombing. Saying she was wholly reliant on Suliman, she added: “If my husband is extradited to Germany, I will have to follow him as I have no one to help me in the UK.”
Suliman was identified as a fugitive and he was held under a European Arrest Warrant (Image: DM)
Defending lawyer says extraditing Suliman could breach his Article 8 rights
Sophia Kerridge, defending, said extraditing Suliman could breach his Article 8 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees a right to family life. He “genuinely fears for his life if he is extradited to Germany”, she added.
Miriam Smith, for the German authorities, said there is a problem with the UK becoming a “safe haven” for those who commit crimes abroad. Saying it “can’t be a coincidence” that he gave a different spelling for his name when he arrived in this country, she added: “The evidence of his fear of tribal violence simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.”
Suliman was remanded in custody until January 19, when a final decision will be made. Nathan Evans, leader of the Conservative group on local Trafford council, who has campaigned to close the hotel, said: “This only confirms what we already knew: there are virtually no checks. If someone can simply alter the spelling of their surname and be placed in a hotel, it shows that hardly any meaningful verification is taking place.”
Migration Watch UK: Foreigners should be detained long enough for proper scrutiny
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, added: “While difficult, it’s not impossible to detain foreigners arriving at the border long enough to subject them to proper scrutiny. There can be no question of international law and agreements taking precedence over UK domestic law and the safety of British citizens.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws, which is why we are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system, allowing us to scale up deportations. This government deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year in office, a 14% increase on the previous year, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.”
