An Iranian asylum seeker has been fined £16,000 after pretending to be a teenager to enter Britain.
The 5ft 8in man with a "prominent Adam's apple" claimed to be 17-years-old when he arrived in the UK in 2022.
A tribunal found the man, who had "adult physical characteristics", deliberately tried to deceive authorities about his true age.
The migrant was determined to be 18 at the time of his entry.
Upper Tribunal Judge Clive Lane ruled the Iranian was aged 18 when he entered the UK and chose to "conceal" his true age during his asylum bid.
The man had claimed he was born in May 2005, which would have made him 17 at the time of entry.
Social workers from Liverpool City Council assessed him as over 18 in November 2022, attributing him a birth date of May 1999.
The British Red Cross launched a legal challenge against the decision, arguing the man was a child because he liked to "hold and cuddle" a teddy bear.
Helene Santamera, Project Co-ordinator at British Red Cross, told the tribunal: "From my observations, he is much more comfortable and relaxed with the children that have had their age accepted than he is with adults."
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She added that at a Christmas party, he had "gratefully received teenage boy appropriate presents" and asked for a teddy bear.
An investigation into the migrant's true date of birth revealed he had a "deep voice", "fully formed jaw line", a "well-developed bone structure", "large ears", and "physical characteristics of an older male".
The tribunal report outlined the council's initial assessment, noting: "[He] has a fully formed jaw line, prominent Adam's apple, large ears and facial features of an adult and appears significantly older than his claimed age."
The report also mentioned he appeared to be "trying to make himself look smaller than he actually is".
At the tribunal, the Iranian argued he had no ID documentation to prove his age.
He claimed he knew his birth date because his uncle told him "my grandfather passed away on the day I was born".
Judge Lane dismissed this as "a convenient fiction" with "every characteristic of a learned response".
The judge said the man was "not an impressive witness" and concluded he had "sought to deceive the United Kingdom authorities as to his true age".
Judge Lane dismissed the need for a Judicial Review and ordered the unnamed migrant to pay Liverpool City Council's legal bills of £16,442.
The final amount the Iranian will have to pay is yet to be determined.
The tribunal was told the man is "currently provided with support and accommodation by the Home Office" and has been living in hotels.
He had told the Home Office he worked as a smuggler in Iran aged 16 for around two years.
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The 5ft 8in man with a "prominent Adam's apple" claimed to be 17-years-old when he arrived in the UK in 2022.
A tribunal found the man, who had "adult physical characteristics", deliberately tried to deceive authorities about his true age.
The migrant was determined to be 18 at the time of his entry.
Upper Tribunal Judge Clive Lane ruled the Iranian was aged 18 when he entered the UK and chose to "conceal" his true age during his asylum bid.
The man had claimed he was born in May 2005, which would have made him 17 at the time of entry.
Social workers from Liverpool City Council assessed him as over 18 in November 2022, attributing him a birth date of May 1999.
The British Red Cross launched a legal challenge against the decision, arguing the man was a child because he liked to "hold and cuddle" a teddy bear.
Helene Santamera, Project Co-ordinator at British Red Cross, told the tribunal: "From my observations, he is much more comfortable and relaxed with the children that have had their age accepted than he is with adults."
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She added that at a Christmas party, he had "gratefully received teenage boy appropriate presents" and asked for a teddy bear.
An investigation into the migrant's true date of birth revealed he had a "deep voice", "fully formed jaw line", a "well-developed bone structure", "large ears", and "physical characteristics of an older male".
The tribunal report outlined the council's initial assessment, noting: "[He] has a fully formed jaw line, prominent Adam's apple, large ears and facial features of an adult and appears significantly older than his claimed age."
The report also mentioned he appeared to be "trying to make himself look smaller than he actually is".
At the tribunal, the Iranian argued he had no ID documentation to prove his age.
He claimed he knew his birth date because his uncle told him "my grandfather passed away on the day I was born".
Judge Lane dismissed this as "a convenient fiction" with "every characteristic of a learned response".
The judge said the man was "not an impressive witness" and concluded he had "sought to deceive the United Kingdom authorities as to his true age".
Judge Lane dismissed the need for a Judicial Review and ordered the unnamed migrant to pay Liverpool City Council's legal bills of £16,442.
The final amount the Iranian will have to pay is yet to be determined.
The tribunal was told the man is "currently provided with support and accommodation by the Home Office" and has been living in hotels.
He had told the Home Office he worked as a smuggler in Iran aged 16 for around two years.
Find Out More...