A fugitive asylum seeker wanted in France for stabbing a man in a migrant camp has walked free from a UK court after a judge's 'packed diary' enabled him to remain in Britain on human rights grounds. Sudanese national Mohammed Ali, 20, dodged extradition to France and will continue to receive a substantial package of support from a local council following a machete attack that left him hospitalized for eight weeks.
Case Details
District Judge Hina Rai ruled at Westminster Magistrates' Court that extraditing Ali would breach his human rights under the Human Rights Act 1998. The delay in his full extradition hearing, which took place more than ten months after his arrest, meant that by the time judgment was handed down, Ali had already served the equivalent of a one-year prison sentence imposed by a French court in his absence.
Ali entered the UK illegally in 2022 as an unaccompanied minor and was placed into foster care. He had fled France after stabbing a victim with scissors in a Calais camp on November 7, 2021, causing three puncture wounds. He was arrested by French police but claimed self-defence, as he was 15 at the time. He was later tried and convicted in absentia, receiving a one-year sentence from Boulogne Youth Court.
UK Proceedings
Ali was arrested in the UK by the National Crime Agency on February 3, 2025, under a European arrest warrant. His initial hearing was on February 4, 2025, but the full hearing was not scheduled until August 4, 2025. That hearing was adjourned, and the case finally proceeded on December 17, 2025. Judge Rai noted that due to the Christmas period and other commitments, she could not deliver judgment until February 4, 2026—the exact date Ali completed one year in UK custody. She concluded that extradition would be incompatible with his convention rights.
During his time in the UK, Ali was attacked with a machete, suffering a broken right leg requiring multiple operations and a skin graft. He spent eight weeks in hospital and now receives substantial support from Bedfordshire Council for his recovery.
Reactions
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, criticized the outcome, stating: 'Yet again, what seems to be both illogical and irrational wins out and the taxpayer is made to pay. Another thug has slipped through the modern Maginot Line and will doubtless be allowed to stay for good on human rights grounds. What utter madness.'
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks. Refugee status may be refused or revoked where an individual has committed a particularly serious crime.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson added that Westminster Magistrates' Court can list up to 50 extradition cases daily, with full hearings for European cases typically listed within four months of the initial hearing.
Bedfordshire Council was contacted for comment but did not respond.
