A family accused of pretending to be Afghan refugees to claim asylum in the UK will not face trial until 2026, which is expected to cost taxpayers an additional £164,000, according to MailOnline.
Gurbakhsh Singh, 72, his wife Ardet Kaur, 68, their son Guljeet Singh, 44, and his wife Kawaljeet Kaur, 37, appeared on bail at Croydon Crown Court last Thursday. They are accused of lying about being from Afghanistan when they arrived at Heathrow Airport in December 2023, despite being denied UK visas earlier that year as Indian citizens.
The family is currently living in a £575,000 house in Hemel Hempstead. Before this, they stayed at Wembley’s Holiday Inn, a hotel exclusively booked by the UK Government for asylum seekers. The yearly cost of housing an asylum-seeking family of four is estimated at £164,000. Since they have been in the UK for 13 months, and their trial is scheduled for February 2026, their total housing costs could reach £328,000.
During their first court appearance last week, the hearing was postponed due to a lack of Punjabi or Dari interpreters. All four family members are accused of knowingly entering the UK illegally and making false claims at Heathrow, stating they were Afghan citizens, despite Home Office records showing they are Indian nationals. They are also accused of previously submitting failed visa applications as Indian citizens.
Judge Michael Evans KC informed the family they could still receive a 25% reduction in sentencing if they plead guilty. The family’s defense lawyer, Charles Drinnan, said they maintain their innocence and plan to apply for a reporting restriction in the case. They are scheduled to return to court on March 13, 2025, to enter their pleas.
The family now resides in a spacious four-bedroom home with modern amenities, including a landscaped garden and parking spaces, as part of their bail conditions. The property, listed for sale in 2023 for £575,000, is close to top-rated schools and local amenities in Hemel Hempstead.
The UK Government has been criticized for the rising costs of housing asylum seekers, which increased from £17,000 per person annually in 2019 to £41,000 in 2023. A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on the case but emphasized that allegations of asylum system abuse are thoroughly investigated.
