Yemeni Migrant Spared Jail, Deportation Over Child Abuse Videos Amid Houthi Reprisal Fears

Osamah Al-Haddad, a 26-year-old Yemeni migrant, was caught with grotesque child abuse videos, including one showing bestiality, when he arrived at Heathrow Airport in January 2024. He admitted to three counts of making indecent photos of children and one count of making a pseudo-photograph of a child, but was spared jail and deportation due to fears he would be forced to fight for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels if returned to Yemen. Al-Haddad came to the UK initially on a student visa and later applied for asylum, citing threats from the Houthis who were allegedly seeking his father and wanted him to join their army. While his asylum application is pending, he has permission to live and work in Plymouth, earning about £781 a month and supporting his wife and child back in Yemen, with hopes to bring them to the UK. During court proceedings, he gave a thumbs-up gesture after being sentenced to a 30-week jail term suspended for a year and was also subjected to a sexual harm prevention order and community service. The judge condemned the videos as depraved and emphasized the real abuse involved, despite Al-Haddad's claim that he received the images from a WhatsApp group and did not have a sexual interest in children.