Iraqi who fled for helping US caught raiding a family home
AN asylum seeker who claimed he faces “revenge attacks” after working for USA security in Iraq has been jailed for three years after he fled to the UK.
Iraqi national Shakhawan Hussain said his family had been shot at and his safety had been put at risk after he assisted American security teams abroad.
But the 31-year-old is now in a UK jail after police caught him with four blades moments after he “ransacked” a family’s home and forced them out of the Black Country property.
The convict attempted to make off with a Marks and Spencer carrier bag loaded with jewellery, as well as tens of thousands of pounds he found secretly stashed in bedsheets. Instead, he ended up running straight into the path of a police officer.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the victim and his family went on holiday, locking their property in York Crescent, West Bromwich, on December 31 last year. A neighbour was in bed when he heard 30 minutes of banging during the early hours of January 5, prosecutor Joshua Purcer said. He spotted a man outside the patio door of the victim’s house and a torch being shone into an upstairs room.
After police arrived, both men fled but Hussain ended up running towards a second officer, who arrested him. A hunting-style knife was spotted near his feet, along with another blade in his pocket. Two lock knives were also discovered in the defendant’s pockets. Jewellery was found in a Marks and Spencer plastic carrier bag, and two crowbars were spotted near to Hussain.
Suzanne Francis, defending, said Hussain arrived in the UK from
Iraq in 2019 and had been living in Home Office-approved accommodation in Newcastle. The defendant came to Birmingham and met a fellow Iraqi, with the pair deciding to burgle the property.
Ms Francis added: “He has been subject to revenge attacks in Iraq, as have his parents who have recently been shot at.”
Hussain, now of Queens Road, Kingston upon Hull, admitted burglary and possession of a blade. He was jailed for 23 months.