An African mother whose fight to remain in the UK with her British-born son was raised by members of the House of Commons and Scottish Parliament was jailed for 18 months yesterday after admitting she had lied about her background.
The removal of Fatou Gaye and her son, Arouna, aged 4, from their home in Glasgow in a dawn raid in May gained widespread publicity. Their case was raised by the SNP MP John Mason in the House of Commons and by MSP Christina McKelvie, who wrote to the Home Secretary. Both believed Gaye’s story that she came from the Ivory Coast.Luton Crown Court was told yesterday that, in fact, Gaye, 38, was a national from Senegal who had lied about her background.
Claudette Elliott, for the prosecution, said that Gaye had cost taxpayers well over £100,000 in legal aid by taking out two judicial reviews and five appeals into her case in an attempt to stay. She was also given cash, food tokens and accommodation.
Mrs Elliott said: “The defendant embarked on a web of deceit which involved members of parliament, which went on for some years — from February 2005 to July 2009.”
Unknown to the authorities she had in fact arrived in the UK in August 2004 on a visitor’s visa from Senegal. In February 2005 she went to the UK Border Agency offices in Croydon and asked to remain as a refugee, saying she was from the Ivory Coast — a fiction she maintained until she and her son were being flown to the Ivory Coast on May 28 when she admitted she did not come from there.
Gaye was returned to the UK and taken to the Yarlswood Detention Centre, near Bedford. Yesterday she sobbed in the dock where she appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining leave to stay in the country by deception.
Nigel Leskink, defending, said that Gaye had initially lied about her nationality having been given advice that she was more likely to be allowed to stay if she said she was from the Ivory Coast. He said the Home Office did not make checks with the Ivory Coast before deporting her. He added that she had carried out community work in Glasgow.
Recommending deportation, Judge Richard Foster said: “You told lies to remain here by saying you were from the Ivory Coast. For over four years you pursued that lie and used every possible means to lengthen your stay.”
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