Immigration officer sacked for putting wife on terror watch list.

The_Minister · 31-01-2011 3:20pm #1

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/01/30/immigration-officer-sacked-for-putting-wife-he-didn-t-like-on-terror-watch-list-115875-22884828/

An immigration officer put his own wife on a terrorist watch list – *so she could not get home from a trip to Pakistan.

The officer was so sick of his partner that when she was visiting family overseas he added her name to the register of people banned from flights into the UK.

When she went to the airport to get her return flight back, officials told her she could not board the plane and did not *explain why.

She called her husband, who *promised to look into it – but left her stuck in Pakistan for THREE YEARS. He was sacked after bosses found out about his antics.

An immigration source said: “A lot of people may dislike their other halves but to do this takes it to the next level. Needless to say she was confused when she got to the airport as she had never been involved in anything criminal or terrorist related.

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“She obviously thought her husband, being an immigration officer, would be able to find out what was going on. Little did she know it was him who had put her on the list. By all accounts he then had the time of his life.”

The officer worked with a unit that puts terror and criminal suspects on the watch list of people “not conducive to the public good”. He simply had to log on to a computer database to add his wife as a *potential suspect.

The officer was caught out when bosses vetted him after he went for a promotion that required him to have a higher level of security clearance. They realised his wife was on the watch list and asked him for an explanation. *He had no choice but to confess what he had done – and was fired.

The immigration source added: “He may have lost his job but he is bit of a legend in immigration circles. It will be talked about for years as the officer who hated his wife so much he put her on a watch list.”

A spokesman for the UK Border Agency, based in Croydon, Surrey, said: “We expect the highest *levels of integrity. *Allegations of misconduct are *thoroughly *investigated and we *always take *action swiftly where we find members of staff who have abused their *position. On the extremely rare occasions where this occurs, the strongest action is taken.”

justin.penrose@sundaymirror.co.uk

She was stranded in Pakistan for three years.

Tar.Aldarion · 31-01-2011 3:21pm

How could they not find that out in 3 ****ing years?

31-01-2011 3:27pm

She probably lost her job, estranged from friends, had her life completely torn to shreds, and he's "a legend" because of his "antics"? And he only lost his job? What about prison?!

minidazzler · 31-01-2011 3:27pm

Tbh, he should be imprisoned for something, that has to be a crime. Or at least should be.

@tar I'm not surprised he got away with it, if you are on a no fly list they don't wanna even hear from you, never mind saying investigate why!

AnonoBoy · 31-01-2011 3:28pm

bluewolf wrote: »

She probably lost her job

She was gone for three years I think it's safe to say that she did.

hondasam · 31-01-2011 3:30pm

That is so wrong but funny, I wonder are the back together.

31-01-2011 3:30pm

AnonoBoy wrote: »

She was gone for three years I think it's safe to say that she did.

I said probably as I wasn't sure if she had one in the first place

The_Minister · 31-01-2011 3:31pm

It just shows that is obviously no appeals process in place, or any system of checks and balances.

prinz · 31-01-2011 3:31pm

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

How could they not find that out in 3 ****ing years?

+1. Seems bizarre that a name could just be 'stuck on a list' without any sort of file/documentary evidence to back up why, with routine checks on them. Although I wonder did it affect travel to other countries. It's fairly obvious she must not have contacted anyone else about it either, besides the husband.

Oranage2 · 31-01-2011 3:31pm

What a legend - that'll stop her nagging!

AnonoBoy · 31-01-2011 3:36pm

Oranage2 wrote: »

What a legend - that'll stop her nagging!

Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Mr. Andy Gray to boards.ie!

krudler · 31-01-2011 3:37pm

prinz wrote: »

+1. Seems bizarre that a name could just be 'stuck on a list' without any sort of file/documentary evidence to back up why, with routine checks on them. Although I wonder did it affect travel to other countries. It's fairly obvious she must not have contacted anyone else about it either, besides the husband.

ever dealt with the Irish social welfare system? :pac:

prinz · 31-01-2011 3:42pm

krudler wrote: »

ever dealt with the Irish social welfare system? :pac:

Not personally, yet :pac: But crying out loud surely they aren't adding that many names to the list that at the end of the week a supervisor could have a quick check over them to see who authorised the name added and why.

thebigbiffo · 31-01-2011 3:42pm

the only list my wife needs to worry about is the shopping list :cool:

wes · 31-01-2011 3:44pm

Well, it seems pretty clear that the entire system is broken. The husband should face jail time, and the Woman should divorce him and taken him for every penny he has, and then sue the immigration dept for there bull**** treatment of her. While her husband put her on the watch list, there completely broken system, made sure that he was able to get away with for 3 years.

PAULWATSON · 31-01-2011 3:47pm

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

How could they not find that out in 3 ****ing years?

Mate, people have been banged up for three years without anyone else knowing.

prinz · 31-01-2011 3:54pm

wes wrote: »

.. and then sue the immigration dept for there bull**** treatment of her. While her husband put her on the watch list, there completely broken system, made sure that he was able to get away with for 3 years.

In fairness, in three years you would think she would have picked up the phone and called someone else in Immigration. While there should be sufficient checks to make sure nothing like this happens, it seems as if in all that time nobody else was made aware of the issue to investigate it.

Gunsfortoys · 31-01-2011 3:58pm

I would say he had a good three years of coke and hookers.

wes · 31-01-2011 4:09pm

prinz wrote: »

In fairness, in three years you would think she would have picked up the phone and called someone else in Immigration. While there should be sufficient checks to make sure nothing like this happens, it seems as if in all that time nobody else was made aware of the issue to investigate it.

Except the article doesn't detail the steps she took to sort this out. We don't know if she just talked to her Husband.

Either way, the system is broken, and this should never have been allowed to happen.

I would expect an immediate review of everyone on the list to make sure they belong it, to be announced at the very least.

ArtSmart · 31-01-2011 4:15pm

bluewolf wrote: »

She probably lost her job, estranged from friends, had her life completely torn to shreds, and he's "a legend" because of his "antics"? And he only lost his job? What about prison?!

c'mon.

it's funny.

ArtSmart · 31-01-2011 4:16pm

The_Minister wrote: »

It just shows that is obviously no appeals process in place, or any system of checks and balances.

reckon there's more to this than reported. as usual.

prinz · 31-01-2011 4:16pm

wes wrote: »

Except the article doesn't detail the steps she took to sort this out. We don't know if she just talked to her Husband..

That's how it reads though.

wes wrote: »

Either way, the system is broken, and this should never have been allowed
to happen..

True.

Wolfe Tone · 31-01-2011 4:17pm

It is pretty funny.....

Sure who does she think she is abandoning her husband to go on holidays?

Kasabian · 31-01-2011 4:18pm

I laughed, I liked his initiative, I copped on and realised what a pr!ck, the poor woman, 3 years is along time.

ArtSmart · 31-01-2011 4:20pm

Gunsfortoys wrote: »

I would say he had a good three years of coke and hookers.

always with the 'coke' and 'hookers'.

the are such a things as crystal meth and football you know.

Killer Pigeon · 31-01-2011 4:29pm

Three years?? There's no way a woman should be allowed to spend so long away from her kitchen. The man should by rights have sent her over a portable kitchenette of some kind.

stovelid · 31-01-2011 4:32pm

Let's be honest, it's crossed all of our minds at one stage or another..

Kasabian wrote: »

I laughed, I liked his initiative, I copped on and realised what a pr!ck, the poor woman, 3 years is along time.

You mean, you covered all bases.

we'llallhavetea_old · 31-01-2011 4:39pm

well she was visiting family, at least she had people to stay with. maybe if she was in a more dire situation she would have been a bit more vocal about being trapped there?

Gunsfortoys · 31-01-2011 4:41pm

ArtSmart wrote: »

always with the 'coke' and 'hookers'.

the are such a things as crystal meth and football you know.

Don't forget LSD and table tennis.

Fratton Fred · 31-01-2011 4:47pm

Or alternatively, they had an arranged marriage and this was a nice easy way out of it for both of them.

the_syco · 31-01-2011 5:12pm

As all stories are either a copy & past of the mirror story, or link to the mirror story, it's highly likely that this is a non-story should the facts actually get shown?

Nichololas · 31-01-2011 5:25pm

It was three years, so she probably (I would think) copped on to his scheme before it came out and either didn't care or didn't want to go back. I imagine the kind of guy who puts his wife on a terrorist watch-list is not the sharpest tack in the toolbox as well as a prick to live with..