Barack Obama's Half Brother Denied Entry to the UK

As we have discovered this past week, it usually takes something major, something of an unusual amount of interest to confirm what the vast majority of us suspect; Britain's immigration system is simply an absolute shambles.

This brief wake-up call occurred yesterday when several Sunday newspapers carried the story that Barack Obama's Kenyan half-brother had been denied permission to enter the UK after immigration officials discovered he had lied to police about his identity - after allegedly sexually assaulting a young girl.

On the surface, it seems like good news; a potentially dangerous individual formally kept out of Britain.

That is not the most remarkable part of the story, however. It turns out that this alleged sexual assault occurred whilst Samson Obama was living in this country illegally with his mother.

He was here for seven years before his arrest for approaching a group of young girls, one only thirteen, and allegedly trying to grope them, before pursuing them into a cafe whilst acting aggressively.

He stringently denies these claims, of course:

Mr Manners, 56, who was married to Auma, another of the President's half-siblings, said: 'I don't really know what the truth is. This is highly embarrassing for the President and the whole family and Barack can well do without it.'

A police source yesterday confirmed reports that Samson was arrested after he approached a group of young girls in Berkshire, including a 13-year-old, in November and allegedly tried to sexually assault one of them.

It is understood he then followed them to a cafe and was said to have become aggressive before being asked to leave by the owner.

I really feel there are more serious aspects to this situation than how Barack might feel - I imagine the young girls concerned could well have 'done without' being grabbed and chased by a large, aggressive man who shouldn't have even been in the country.

Anyway, Samson was not detected or deported after his arrest and accepting a caution for 'public order offences' - he gave a false name, Henry Aloo, and claimed to be a genuine asylum seeker, despite giving his real address.

Soon after, he went back to Kenya of his own accord.

He successfully applied for a transit visa to see Obama inaugurated, and spent two nights in London on the way to and from Washington - despite the fact the UK Border Agency knew about his past.

It was only when he applied for a tourist visa to visit Britain that the UK Border Agency realised his fingerprints were already on file under a different name - and he was denied entry for deception.

Unable to accept being caught out, Samson claimed that his passport had been stolen and the offences related to someone else. However, it emerged that the business certificates he had submitted to support his application and prove he would not seek asylum in the UK were forged.

So, whatever his family say about the allegations being untrue, it is quite clear that the man is happy to lie and commit fraud to get his way.

The Mirror charts it all without irony:

UPS AND DOWNS OF ABO
1987: Barack Obama, aged 26, meets Kenyan family including Abo for the first time.

2001: Abo, then 20, enters the UK from Kenya but there is no official record of his entry. Moves in with mum Kezia in Bracknell, Berks.

2008: Abo accused of sexual assault and gives his name as Henry Aloo. Flies back to Kenya.

2009: Abo applies for visa to UK. Fingerprints match those of alleged sex attacker.

January 15: Flies into UK en route to Washington for brother's presidential inauguration.

January 20: Attends the inauguration.

January 25: Allowed to stop over again for one night in UK on way back to Nairobi.

February 9: In Nairobi submits forged business certificate to support visa application.

April: Abo denied visa as he is deemed "not conducive to the public good".

Not conducive to the public good, indeed. Shame it took three attempts, seven years of living illegally on the taxpayer and a young girl being groped to find that out, really.

The worst thing about this case is that it can't be unique - it's just that this particularly criminal illegal immigrant has a famous enough brother for it to be deemed important.