THE mystery of a man who was jailed for illegally entering the Island after claiming he swam from France has deepened after it emerged that his identity has been confirmed – but will not be made public.
The elusive individual – who gave his name as David Henry Law and quoted Shakespeare in an attempt to prove he was British – was sent to prison for 15 months in March. Taking into account time spent on remand, he was due to be released today.
However, in a statement, the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service said that they had identified the man’s true identity, which wasn’t David Law, and he would be deported once all cross-border arrangements were all in place.
The service did not divulge his name nor where he will be sent to, but did confirm the man will stay at La Moye while awaiting deportation.
It said: “JCIS can confirm that a detailed investigation has established the identity of an individual who arrived in Jersey in September 2024, who was arrested and charged with offences under the Immigration (Jersey) Order 2021.
“Enquiries made by JCIS have established that the person who claimed to be David Henry Law, and to be a British citizen, is not David Henry Law and is not a British citizen.
“Enquiries made by JCIS have also established that the individual has no right to reside in Jersey.”
It added: “JCIS are now liaising with international authorities to make further arrangements regarding the individual, and his return to another jurisdiction.
“While this liaison is ongoing, the individual currently remains at La Moye Prison under Immigration detention, having now served his custodial sentence.
“JCIS cannot give any further details about the individual’s identity for privacy reasons and will not make any further comment.”
Emergency services were called to Rozel Bay on 19 September last year after two members of the public heard a cry for help from the beach, with ‘Law’ – who was found wearing a wetsuit, swim cap and goggles with a belt bag with 265 euros in it – brought ashore and treated by paramedics before being taken to the General Hospital.
When questioned by Customs officers, ‘Law’ claimed that he had been in the water for 13 hours after swimming from an undisclosed French beach in an attempt to return home to London. He stated that he was a British citizen but had no identification or travel documentation to prove this claim and he was subsequently arrested.
In interviews, ‘Law’ said he was born in London before being taken by his parents to India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar where he lived for at least ten years.
It was put to him that he spoke with an accent, which he dismissed and said that English was his first and only language, and he offered to prove to officers how British he was by quoting Shakespeare.
‘Law’ said that swimming was a better way to travel to the UK than contacting an embassy, adding that he did not want to use the embassy as a “ticket office or charity” but wanted to do it the “hard way”.
After sentencing ‘Law’ in March, the Royal Court also recommended that he be deported, a decision which rests with the Home Affairs Minister.
