WOMAN JAILED AFTER LYING ABOUT NATIONALITY IN ASYLUM CLAIM

A woman who falsely claimed to be from Ivory Coast while seeking asylum in the UK has been jailed for 18 months after admitting two offences of obtaining permission to remain by deception.

Fatou Gaye, 38, appeared at Luton Crown Court where prosecutors said she arrived in the UK from Senegal on a visitor visa in 2004 and later asserted she was Ivorian to support asylum claims. The deception went undetected for several years, during which Gaye lived in Glasgow with her young son, Arouna, and pursued multiple appeals and judicial reviews to resist removal.

The court heard that public interest in her case grew after Scottish politicians, including John Mason and Christina McKelvie, voiced support believing she was an asylum seeker from Ivory Coast. Authorities say the false claims resulted in more than £100,000 being spent by taxpayers on accommodation, benefits and legal aid linked to her asylum applications and appeals.

Gaye’s true nationality only came to light when she was deported to Ivory Coast in 2009. Officials noted she could not speak local languages or answer basic questions about the country, prompting her return to the UK and subsequent charges.

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Sentencing, Judge Richard Foster described Gaye’s conduct as a sustained “dishonest and cynical” abuse of the asylum system over a four-year period. Phil Taylor, regional director of the UK Border Agency, said the prosecution underlined authorities’ determination to pursue cases of immigration fraud.

Gaye admitted two counts of obtaining leave to remain by deception. She was remanded to custody to begin an 18-month prison term.