UK Care Home Director Sentenced for Illegally Employing Indian Nationals in Vulnerable Care Positions

London:

A care home agency director in south-east England has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of repeatedly employing Indian immigrants who had no legal right to work in the UK.

Benoy Thomas was found guilty following a trial at Lewes Crown Court in July and received his sentence on Friday, according to the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The 50-year-old was convicted of recruiting Indian nationals to work as care assistants through his company, A Class Care Recruitment Ltd, located in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, despite being fully aware of their illegal immigration status.

"Benoy Thomas knowingly breached immigration laws by employing people who had no right to work in the UK," stated Katie Samways, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS South East.

"Many of those he illegally employed were working with some of the most vulnerable people without adequate training or medical expertise, putting the safety and well-being of those who needed care at significant risk.

"The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to prosecute those who exploit our immigration system," she added.

An investigation conducted by Immigration Enforcement, a UK Home Office agency, determined that Thomas had assisted the "unlawful immigration" of 13 individuals between 2017 and 2018.

In addition to his prison sentence, Thomas was disqualified from serving as a company director for eight years, the CPS reported. The agency noted that Thomas himself had legally arrived in the UK from India in 2007 before becoming a British citizen in 2012.

The court was informed that Thomas utilized his contacts in southern India and his knowledge of the UK immigration system to conduct the illegal hiring operation. During his trial, it was revealed that he had attempted to hide employment documentation from immigration officers in a garage prior to his arrest.

"Prosecutors presented extensive evidence to the jury, including timesheets, invoices, text messages, bank statements, handwritten office notes and diary entries, which showed that Thomas deliberately organised work for people he knew were in the UK illegally and had no right to work," the CPS stated.

His trial, which concluded four months ago, found Thomas guilty of 13 counts of assisting unlawful immigration to a member state, contrary to Section 25(1) of the UK's Immigration Act 1971.