A refugee who falsely claimed his sister was his wife in order to bring her and his six-year-old son into Ireland on a family reunification visa has been sentenced to two years in prison, reports Breaking News.
The 29-year-old Somali man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons to protect his child’s identity, pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assisting unlawful entry into the State at Terminal One of Dublin Airport on July 22, 2025, reports Breaking News.
Detective Garda Karen Barker of the Garda National Immigration Bureau told prosecuting counsel that the man had held full refugee status in Ireland for several years and had lived in the country since 2021 before applying for family reunification.
They were stopped as a family group arriving from Cairo, with the woman and child presenting Somali identification documents, reports Breaking News.
The woman initially claimed to be the sister of the man’s deceased wife and said she later married him in 2018, adding that the boy was her late sister’s child and also the accused’s son.
However, immigration officers became suspicious as the woman did not resemble the person in the passport and, when questioned, she was unable to write her name or date of birth, reports Breaking News.
Concerns were also raised about the child’s welfare. The man first supported the woman’s account but later admitted she was his sister and said she had travelled to Ireland to seek asylum.
He said he had left Ireland 20 days earlier, met his sister and the child in Kenya, and attempted to return together using the visa, stating his sister faced imminent danger in Somalia, reports Breaking News.
Det Gda Barker said the child is now in State care, while the woman has been granted subsidiary protection in Ireland.
She also confirmed that the man had injuries and claimed he had been harmed by a terrorist organisation in Somalia, though she could not verify how the injuries occurred, reports Breaking News.
The court heard that his refugee status in Ireland is currently under review.
It was also outlined that multiple false documents had been used to support the visa application, which began around three years earlier, reports Breaking News.
Defence counsel argued that the man acted out of desperation, driven by concern for the safety of his child and sister in Somalia.
He accepted that false documentation had been used but said his client was not acting as a trafficker or for financial gain, reports Breaking News.
Counsel said he could not confirm how long the woman and child had been in Kenya but noted they were originally from Somalia.
When asked about the child’s mother, he said he could not provide details and confirmed she was not in Ireland, reports Breaking News.
He added that travelling with false documents to gain entry to the State was not unusual in such circumstances.
“His motivation was to be re-united with his family,” counsel said. “He just wanted to have his family here and he went about it the wrong way”, reports Breaking News.
Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin said the offence appeared to be a one-off but noted it was carefully planned, with false documentation dating back several years.
She said the accused likely received assistance in obtaining the documents required for the visa, reports Breaking News.
The judge accepted that the man had not acted for profit and that the woman involved had not been exploited but may have benefited from the arrangement.
“The integrity of the immigration system in this country is the real injured party,” she said, reports Breaking News.
Judge Ní Chúlacháin set a headline sentence of three years before taking into account mitigating factors, including the man’s personal circumstances and his ability to support himself since arriving in Ireland.
She ultimately imposed a two-year sentence, giving credit for time already spent in custody, with the final year suspended, reports Breaking News.
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