An illegal immigrant who was involved in smuggling more than 3,000 others into Europe has been sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Egyptian national Ahmed Ramadan Mohamad Ebid, who arrived in the UK in a small boat in October 2022, worked with people smuggling networks in North Africa to bring hundreds of migrants at a time from Libya to Italy.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) believes the 42-year-old’s case is the first time someone has been convicted for organising migrant crossings of the Mediterranean from the UK.

Ebid had a “significant managerial role within an organised crime group” and his “primary motivation was to make money out of human trafficking”, Judge Adam Hiddleston said.

He told Ebid the “conspiracy that you were a part of generated millions of pounds” and he must have been a “beneficiary” of “a significant amount”.

He said the “truly staggering” amount of money came from the “hard-earned savings of desperate individuals”, who were “ruthlessly and cynically exploited” by Ebid and the crime group.

Details of the case emerged during a rare Newton hearing – a trial within a trial that takes place when the prosecution and defence disagree about facts of a case.

Ebid was living in Isleworth, west London, at the time of his arrest in June 2023.

He later admitted to being involved in enabling seven fishing boats to make the dangerous crossing to Europe, with a total of 3,781 migrants on board. He said he only played a minor role in the operation but a judge rejected this claim in March.

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Ebid, who had worked as a fisherman in the Mediterranean, helped two boats carrying hundreds of migrants cross the sea in a convoy just three weeks after he arrived in the UK.

Once the boats were in Italian waters, a satellite phone on board one vessel was used to call the Italian coastguard, who rescued everyone and brought them ashore.

Ebid’s mobile phone had been in contact with the satellite phone 34 times over two days, the prosecution told the Newton hearing.

He used the same method to help five more boats make the crossing in the next six months, it added.

Each migrant was charged an average of around £3,200, bringing the criminals involved more than £12m, the NCA said.

Investigators found pictures of boats, conversations about the possible purchase of vessels, videos of migrants making the journey and screenshots of money transfers on a phone seized from him.

In a conversation with an associate which was recorded via a listening device planted by NCA officers, Ebid said migrants were not to carry phones with them on boats, adding: “Tell them guys anyone caught with a phone will be killed, threw in the sea.”

Ebid was sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Tim Burton, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Ebid “played a leading role” in an operation “which breached immigration laws and endangered lives, for his own and others’ financial gain”.

Jacque Beer, of the NCA, said: “Ebid was part of a crime network who preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats.

“The cruel nature of his business was demonstrated by the callous way he spoke of throwing migrants into the sea if they didn’t follow his rules.”

A second man has appeared in court charged in connection with a series of fires linked to Sir Keir Starmer.

Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc was remanded in custody after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday accused of arson with intent to endanger life.

He has been charged with conspiring with Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and others unknown to “damage by fire property belonging to another, intending to damage the property, and intending to endanger the life of another or being reckless as to whether the life of another would thereby be endangered”.

The 26-year-old, from Romford, east London, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at Luton Airport on Saturday as he tried to travel to Romania, the court heard.

With the help of a Russian interpreter, Carpiuc, who was born in Ukraine, spoke only to confirm his identity in a short hearing.

The charge relates to three fires.

Two of the fires took place in Kentish Town, north London. One occurred during the early hours of 12 May at the home where Sir Keir lived before he became prime minister and moved into Downing Street.

A car was set alight in the same street four days earlier on 8 May.

The other fire took place on 11 May at the front door of a house converted into flats in Islington.

Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska said: “At this stage, the alleged offending is unexplained.”

The court heard Carpiuc gave a no comment interview to police.

Defending, Jay Nutkins said his client has lived in the UK for nine years and is currently waiting for his degree results having studied business at Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent.

He denies being present at the scene of any of the fires, the court was told.

Carpiuc, who was supported by his father in court, was said to work in construction.

He will next appear at the Old Bailey on 6 June.

Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national from Sydenham in southeast London, has already been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the fires.

He denied the charges in a police interview.

Lavrynovych appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last Friday and was remanded in custody until a further hearing at the Old Bailey also scheduled for 6 June.

A third man, aged 34, was arrested in Chelsea in southwest London on Monday on suspicion of arson.

He remains in custody, the Metropolitan Police said.

Tommy Robinson is due to be released from prison in days after his sentence for the civil offence of contempt of court was reduced by four months at the High Court.

The far-right political activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for 18 months in October last year after admitting breaching a 2021 High Court order banning him from repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel.

The sentence was made up of a 14-month “punitive” element and a four-month “coercive” element, with sentencing judge Mr Justice Johnson telling Robinson he could have the latter taken off his sentence if he were to “purge” his contempt by taking steps to comply with the injunction.

Robinson applied to purge his contempt at a hearing on Tuesday, with his lawyers telling the court he had shown “commitment” to comply with the order.

Lawyers for the Solicitor General agreed Robinson had taken steps to adhere to the injunction.

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In a ruling, Mr Justice Johnson said while there was an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Robinson, he had shown a “change in attitude” since he was sentenced.

He said: “He [Robinson] has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.”

He continued: “I consider it appropriate to grant the application.”

He added: “The practical effect, subject to confirmation by the prison authorities, is that the defendant will be released once he has completed the punitive element, which I understand will be within the next week.”

Robinson was originally due to be released on 26 July.

After he was jailed, Robinson lost a bid to bring a legal challenge against the Ministry of Justice over his segregation from other prisoners in March.

He then lost a legal challenge to his sentence at the Court of Appeal in April, but three senior judges said he could “still reduce the period he has to spend in custody by taking the steps identified” by Mr Justice Johnson.