09.01.2023

A man from the Isle of Wight has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty after being accused of smuggling illegal immigrants into the UK.

Robbie Hounsham, 54, of Ashey Road, Ryde, was charged via postal requisition on Wednesday 9th of November with ‘conspiracy to facilitate the unlawful entry and/or attempted entry into the UK of non-EU citizens’.

Robbie Hounsham was arrested after 12 illegal immigrants were found on a yacht at East Cowes marina on the Isle of Wight, in March 2020.

He appeared at Newport Crown Court charged with conspiracy to facilitate the unlawful entry and/or attempted entry into the UK of non-EU citizens.

It is alleged that the offences occurred between the 1st of January 2020 and the 30th of June 2020.

Robbie Hounsham has been bailed ahead of a trial on the 14th of August 2023.

We have seen numerous situations similar to this case with people attempting to smuggle illegal immigrants into the UK with yachts and we will see many more when there is no true deterrent in place. We are a nation without a border and the criminals are taking full advantage.

The Isle Of Wight, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex, as well as many other areas, are hotspots for smugglers to sneak people into borderless Britain.