The nine-page Home Office booklet handed to asylum seekers on arrival in the UK, which warns them not to commit sexual assaults, is an implicit admission that some would-be immigrants are potential sex offenders, according to Judy Finnigan.
Writing in her column, Finnigan said the document also assumes that migrants will read it, which many will not, and many will not be able to because it is printed only in English.
An extraordinary document
Finnigan described the booklet as a statement of the obvious, noting it tells readers: "Never try to have sex with someone who is asleep, drunk, or unable to consent clearly... if you have sex with someone who does not want to, this is called rape. Rape is a serious crime."
She said the pamphlet assumes some men need to be enlightened on these matters, and that if they are, the pamphlet will be enough to persuade them to change their ways.
The booklet also warns: "Sex with someone under the age of 16 is a serious crime in the UK. There are no exceptions to this rule. Even if they say yes, it is still illegal. You could go to prison, lose your support and accommodation, and it will affect your asylum claim."
Families owed an apology
Finnigan noted the use of "could" rather than "will" and "affect" rather than "negate" in the warning, and agreed with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who said: "The fact that illegal immigrants need a booklet telling them not to rape children shows they are not the kind of people we want in this country."
She said families who have been uneasy or scared about young migrant men being placed in their communities have long been dismissed as scaremongers and bigots, but the pamphlet proves their concerns were entirely reasonable, and they are owed an apology.
