Judge criticised for 'immigrants exploiting benefits' comment

A Crown Court judge has been disciplined for saying that hundreds of thousands of immigrants come to Britain to get benefits.

Judge Ian Trigger was given an official rebuke over remarks about the UK's 'completely lax immigration policy', which he made when jailing an illegal immigrant drug dealer for two years.

It was one of the last decisions by Labour former justice secretary Jack Straw, who until last week policed judicial behaviour with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge.

Criticised: Judge Ian Trigger, left, was today 'advised' over comments he made about immigration while sentencing a Jamaican drug dealer last year

They said Judge Trigger made 'an inappropriate judicial intervention
in the political process'. His criticism of immigration policy was
'wholly unrelated' to the case of the Jamaican drug dealer he was
sentencing last July.

Lucien McClearley came to Britain as a tourist in 2001 and claimed asylum when his visa ran out.

The defendant was arrested in October 2002 when the visa ran out but he
claimed asylum and was released while it was being processed.

This claim was rejected in 2004, but he stayed in Britain without
any interference from the authorities until February 2009, when police
stopped a car he was driving and smelt cannabis.

McClearley admitted taking a vehicle without consent, possessing
cannabis and cocaine, possessing a class B drug with intent and two
counts of possessing false identity documents.

McClearley, who was 31 at the time, was jailed for two years on July 28, 2009.

Sentencing him at the time at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Trigger said: ‘Your case illustrates all too clearly the completely lax immigration policy that exists and has existed over recent years.

‘People like you, and there are literally hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people like you, come to these shores to avail themselves of the generous welfare benefits that exist here.

‘In the past 10 years the national debt of this country has risen to extraordinary heights, largely because central government has wasted billions of pounds. Much of that has been wasted on welfare payments.

‘For every £1 that the decent citizen, who is hard-working, pays in taxes, nearly 10 per cent goes on servicing that national debt.

‘That is twice the amount it was in 1997 when this Government came to power.’

The controversial comments sparked an investigation which resulted in today's criticism.

Judge Trigger has 'received formal advice' from Lord Judge, in effect a slap on the wrist.

A spokesman for the judiciary said: ‘His Honour Judge Trigger has received formal advice from the Lord Chief Justice following an investigation into comments he made in open court during the sentencing of Lucien McClearley.

‘The investigation found, and the Lord Chief Justice agreed, that Judge Trigger's comments were wholly unrelated to any of the issues which arose for consideration in his sentencing decision, and represented an inappropriate judicial intervention in the political process.’