Britain Has Spent Nearly £1 Million Holding Dual National Beyond Tariff

Britain has spent more than £900,000 of public funds holding a dual British-Iranian national in Category A prisons for nearly 16 years after his minimum tariff expired, according to Ministry of Justice figures. The man was first eligible for deportation to Iran in August 2010. Iranian officials have made multiple requests for his return, yet Britain has not removed him.

The estimated £900,000 covers annual per-prisoner costs at HMP Wakefield and HMP Frankland since the tariff ended and excludes separate NHS-funded healthcare. He was transferred to a secure hospital in recent days. The man, now almost 60, uses a wheelchair and has multiple health conditions. He was jailed in 2004 for stalking 200 victims and renounced his British citizenship while in prison.

Iranian officials raised his case six months ago during talks over two British citizens held in Tehran’s Evin prison on spying charges, which they deny. The same issue surfaced in 2021 during negotiations that led to the release of another British-Iranian detainee after Britain settled a £400 million arms debt.

A deportation order was issued in 2013, but the Ministry of Justice blocked removal, citing possible effects on public confidence in the justice system. The Parole Board has declined to recommend release to Iran because monitoring would not be possible there.

The justice secretary stated that arrangements for an exchange “can be made” and that the government’s mind is not closed. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the cost figures. The man’s lawyer described him as “effectively trapped.” Iranian embassy officials have called his case a “humanitarian” matter and confirmed “longstanding requests” for his return.