A family accused of masquerading as Afghans to illegally claim asylum in the UK will not be tried until 2026 – a decision that will cost taxpayers a further £164,000, MailOnline can reveal today.
Gurbakhsh Singh, 72, his wife Ardet Kaur, 68, their son Guljeet Singh, 44, and his wife Kawaljeet Kaur, 37, all appeared on bail at Croydon Crown Court last Thursday.
The husband, wife, son and daughter-in-law are accused of being from Afghanistan when they arrived Heathrow Airport just in front Christmas 2023.
But they were subsequently accused of twice failing to come to Britain as Indian citizens earlier that year.
They currently live in a £575,000 luxury home in the exclusive Home Counties commuter town of Hemel Hempstead. Until recently they were based at Wembley's Holiday Inn, which is fully booked by the UK government and is currently not accepting customers.
Based on home office figures, it costs the UK around £164,000 a year to house a family of four asylum seekers.
The Singh Kaurs have been in Britain illegally for 13 months and with their trial now set for February 2026, they will cost the taxpayer the same amount and bring their accommodation bill to at least £328,000 next year.
They made their first appearance at Croydon Crown Court last week, but the hearing was postponed because no Punjabi or Dari Afghan interpreters had been booked.
Father and son Gurbakhsh Singh (L) & Guljeet Singh (R) Leaving Croydon Magistrates' Court last year where they denied making a false statement or representation at Heathrow, namely seeking asylum as Afghan citizens when home office promotions confirm they are Indian nationals are. They will be tried in 2026
Kawaljeet Kaur (L) and Ardet Kaur (R) outside the court. Kawaljeet and her mother-in-law face the same charges
While on bail the family are listed as living in this £575,000 house in Hemel Hempstead
“We haven't had a fully effective conference, but all four are very robust that they are not guilty,” said Charles Drinnan, defending the senior Singh and Kaur.
“There will also be an application at the next hearing for a possible reporting restriction in this case.”
The family was rescued until March 13 so that they can enter their pleas to the charges with the help of interpreters. Their trial was resolved to begin on February 2, next year.
'The four defendants live a three-hour bus and train journey away,' Mr Drinnan has submitted'.
It is alleged that all of them had previously been declared Indian nationals and provided documentary evidence in two failed visa applications three months earlier.
They have also all been charged with making a false statement or representation at Heathrow Airport, namely claiming asylum as Afghan citizens when home office confirmations confirm they are Indian nationals, contrary to the Immigration and Asylum Act.
All four have also been charged with knowingly leaving the UK without leave on December 23 last year, contrary to the Immigration Act.
Judge Michael Evans QC told the family: 'I know you all don't understand this. You will not be charged today and you will still have 25 percent credit if you plead guilty. '
Until recently they lived at Wembley's Holiday Inn in North London, which is fully booked by the Home Office for asylum seekers and is currently not accepting customers.
But they are all now living together in a new home in Hemel Hempstead, where they have all been ordered to remain as a condition of bail.
The 1,136 sq m property, with four bedrooms, an open plan ground floor and with 'luxurious' fitted kitchen with top appliances, was put up for sale for £575,000 in March 2023. It was sold in 2022 for £467,000, according to the Land Register.
The property, put up for sale last year for £575,000, has four bedrooms and a beautiful open-plan kitchen and living room
There is also a loft room with views over Hertfordshire
It also has a landscaped garden and spaces for two cars
It has plush deep carpets, new wooden floors and a 341 m² loft room with views over Hertfordshire.
The modern property, within half a mile of excellent schools and close to the amenities and train station of Hemel Hempstead, also benefits from a newly landscaped garden to the rear and two parking spaces.
In December, MailOnline asked the government to comment on the case – and the cost to taxpayers of housing them in a hotel and now their new property for the past 12 months.
A recent report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that the cost of housing an asylum guard in 2019/20 went from £17,000 per person to £41,000 in 2023/24.
Based on these figures, the family-of-four at the center of the business would cost £164,000 a year to house since they arrived a year ago.
A home office spokesperson said at the time: “It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation.”
But added: 'Where there are concerns about abuse of the asylum system, we ensure that they are thoroughly investigated and that appropriate action is taken.'
