An illegal immigrant has been fined £2,000 and banned from the island for five years.

Mohammed Abdul Mumin was arrested at the Sea Terminal and was said to have been sleeping rough here before planning to travel to Dublin.

The 25-year-old has previously been in England, working under a two year skilled worker Visa, but that had expired.

Mumin appeared before magistrates on Thursday, August 28, at Douglas Courthouse, and entered a guilty plea to entering the Isle of Man without leave of the Immigration Act.

He must pay the fine immediately or serve up to 90 days in prison here in default of payment.

Prosecuting advocate Kathryn Johnson told magistrates that Port Officers at the Sea Terminal on August 26, saw a bag on the carousel, even though no ferry was due to leave or arrive on the island at that time of day.

The bag was searched and they found UK immigration documents stating that Mumin had not been granted leave to remain in the UK after his work Visa ended, which meant it was also illegal for him to enter the Isle of Man.

He was found nearby and arrested, telling police that he was currently making a claim for asylum in the UK, and saying that he was due for an interview there.

However, checks found that the interview date had passed and he had not attended it, so his application to stay had been revoked on August 5.

Mumin was interviewed by police and answered ‘no comment’ to all questions put to him.

Further enquiries confirmed that he had travelled here on the Steam Packet ferry from Liverpool on August 23 and that he had booked a ticket to travel to Dublin on August 27.

Ms Johnson said that it was believed he had been sleeping rough while waiting to go to Ireland and appeared to be using the island as some sort of ‘stop off’.

Mumin, for whom no address was given in court, was said to have been originally from Bangladesh.

The maximum sentence for the immigration offence is six months’ custody, or a level five fine.

The prosecutor made an application for an exclusion order to ban Mumin from the island for five years, saying that he had no contacts or ties here.

Duty advocate James Peterson represented the defendant and asked for credit to be given for his guilty plea.

Mr Peterson said that there was not a huge amount to say, and that Mumin was going to be unable to pay any substantial fine forthwith.

The advocate went on to say that it was not the most sophisticated offence, as the defendant had booked his travel via a boat here, as well as onward travel to Ireland.

Chair of the magistrates Lisa Horton told Mumin: ‘The Isle of Man takes matters like this very seriously.’

The exclusion order will come into force after 28 days, as this is the period allowed for a defendant to lodge an appeal against it.