Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker wears £185 Nike trainers to court

An asylum seeker formerly housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge has appeared in court on assault charges wearing a £185 pair of Nike trainers.

Hamza Amri, 29, appeared at Poole magistrates’ court in Dorset and pleaded guilty to charges of assault and possessing a knife.

Amri, who received a weekly allowance of £9.10 while housed on the boat, wore a pair of Nike Air Max Plus trainers, which sell for up to £185, jeans, a padded checked shirt, a white hoodie and a chunky silver bracelet to court.

He assaulted another asylum seeker for apparently acting inappropriately towards his wife in June last year, a court heard.

Amri was staying on the barge in Portland Port when he attended his wife’s birthday party more than 40 miles away in Bournemouth. Residents of the Bibby Stockholm were supposed to be single men. It is not clear how he travelled from Portland to Bournemouth.

Amri claimed that during the party on June 8 last year, Kamal Iamranene, his victim, had been acting inappropriately towards his wife.

Victim knocked out with a punch

After the party, Amri cycled to the hotel where Mr Iamranene was staying, hid a long-bladed knife under a traffic cone and then phoned him to come outside.

The two men got into an argument before Amri knocked Mr Iamranene out with a punch.

He then picked up the knife and waved it at the unconscious victim’s face before being pulled away.

Amri, who needed an Arabic interpreter in court, now lives at the Britannia Hotel in Bournemouth following the closure of the Bibby Stockholm.

Robert Salame, prosecuting, told magistrates: “At 12.54am the defendant arrived at the Chine Hotel after cycling to that location from his wife’s birthday party.

“He arrived on his bike and walked over to a cone at the Chine Hotel.

“The cone was by the entrance to the car park, and he put a knife underneath the cone.

“The defendant made a call on his mobile phone to the complainant and on that phone call, he said he was outside the hotel.

“He was seen walking in the street and started shadow boxing and bouncing on his toes. After a short while, the complainant exited the Chine Hotel and walked towards the defendant.

“The defendant stood near the cone where he hid the knife. The defendant and complainant began to speak and an argument began. During this argument, there was pointing at each other by both parties.

“The defendant then punched the complainant, who fell to the floor unconscious. The defendant then went to the cone and picked up the knife and waved it in the complainant’s face.

“Members of staff from the hotel came out. The defendant hid the knife. The complainant was helped into the hotel while other members of staff waited with the defendant until the police arrived.

“The knife was located on the defendant, and the complainant was taken to hospital because he has suffered a cut to his lip and bleeding around his teeth. He also claimed to have a headache.”

Foreign criminals ‘can expect deportation’

Guy Gosheron, defending, said: “He does maintain that his actions were all because the complainant had been inappropriate towards his wife at the birthday party.”

Magistrates adjourned sentencing for reports, and Amri was released on conditional bail until March 4.

A Home Office spokesman said that foreign nationals who commit crime can expect to be deported at the earliest opportunity if it is appropriate.

The Bibby Stockholm is expected to leave Portland later this month after being decommissioned by the Government. The last residents left it in November.

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