Vietnamese youth tricked into going to UK to grow cannabis
The judge concluded that the young Vietnamese man had been tricked and smuggled into the UK to work as a slave in a cannabis plantation.
A court in Liverpool, central England, has declared a Vietnamese man named Tuan Anh innocent after he was arrested at a cannabis farm in September.
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| Tuan Anh and lawyer John Weate outside court. |
SheetWirral GlobeThe indictment said Tuan Anh (18 years old) was arrested with two other Vietnamese people at a house in the town of Wallasey in Merseyside on September 28. Police also discovered about 250 pots of cannabis there.
Tuan Anh was orphaned as a child and at the age of 17 was lured to England with the promise of a job as a gardener. However, after arriving, Anh was confined to his house, forced to grow cannabis and received no salary.
The Home Office confirmed that Tuan Anh was a victim of human trafficking and was not actively involved in cannabis cultivation. The judge also agreed with the Home Office's recommendation.
Meanwhile, the Home Office announced that the remaining two Vietnamese were not smuggled to the UK. At the end of the trial on December 6 (local time), lawyer John Weate also asked the court to postpone the verdict for another day so that Tuan Anh could stay in prison for another night, instead of having to go out on the streets without money, relatives or a place to go.
The reason was that Tuan Anh had an appointment with immigration officials in Liverpool on December 7 to consider his application for asylum. Judge David Aubrey agreed with the request and also praised the actions of the dedicated lawyer.
