London: He has been branded a one-man crimewave. And despite all attempts at deportation, including being given £3,000 (Dh17,078) by the government, he is still here.
Hakim Benmakhlouf, 29, a prolific thief is facing deportation for the fifth time after being arrested for stealing at Heathrow Airport. He was held after officers found him and two other men, loading a car near Terminal 4 with designer luggage worth thousands of pounds stolen from passengers.
The father-of-two, who has a string of convictions for stealing from rich tourists at five-star hotels and airports, was confronted along with his two accomplices aged 41 and 29, after being spotted by officers on Thursday afternoon.
The reappearance of the Algerian is a huge embarrassment for the Home Office, which has successively failed to keep him out of the country over a period of three years.
Inquiry launched
An inquiry is being launched into how the prolific bag snatcher, who has 12 aliases, was able to make a mockery of Britain's border controls yet again.
Benmakhlouf was last deported in July 2010 after being arrested in March at the same car park at Heathrow — a favourite hunting ground for the thief who preys on rich holidaymakers.
The former rent boy is described by police as one of the most skilful bag-snatchers ever seen.
With a ready supply of bogus passports, he is equally adept at slipping through Britain's borders.
Benmakhlouf was first thrown out of the UK in July 2007 when he was released early from a three-and-a-half year jail term for theft.
The conman, who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle with a home in St John's Wood, North West London, and a collection of expensive designer clothes, was offered £3,000 in ‘repatriation expenses' and flown back to Algeria. But he was back, via Eurostar, within 24 hours.
