For approximately two years Cornerstone day centre played host to housing an illegal immigrant. In return for food and board he worked at the centre four days a week and sometimes at weekend. The immigrant was known as Mohammed Ail, but no one is sure his true name. Ali came from Kashmir in Pakistan and had travelled to the UK on a bogus study visa.
It soon became clear that Ali had mental health issue. He would spend much of his time locked away in his sparse room. When he was in communal areas he would spend much time staring into space. He was insular and lived, very much, in a world of his own. Ali claimed that he was being persecuted from a cleric, this was not religious persecution in Kashmir but in Old Trafford. This was one of the crazy stories that Ali came up with. He also argued that he shouldn't have to go back because because one brother was mentally ill, another brother had died in an earth quake and both his parents were no longer alive. Ali could not understand that he had lied his way into the country and he had no grounds for Asylum.
Angela Shannon had known for more than a year that Ali was an illegal immigrant. Amanda Croome, of the Booth centre in Manchester had enquired about Ali's status to the UKBA Home Office. Croome and Shannon had known for more than 12 months that Ali was an illegal. Ali remained in the Cornerstone managed house and continued to earn his room and board by working at the centre. Before Christmas 2012 Angela Shannon had stated that she wanted Ali out of the property. Ali became increasingly frustrated about his status and this was combined with delusions about being persecuted. Angela Shannon became more determined to rid Ali from the property. In March 2013 this all came to a head. Ali, Shannon and Coombs all had a discussion about his future. There was no conclusion to this meeting and by all accounts Ali was abusive and angry. Ali had demanded that he see the police regarding the mystery cleric from Old Trafford who had been persecuting him. Cornerstone and Angela Shannon had accepted this and arrangements were made for Ali to visit Trafford Police Station. Any person with a modicum of intelligence would have realised that by doing this Ali was writing his own deportation notice. Sure enough Ali never returned and was sent to a deportation centre where he would be held until his status was decided. On the day that Ali was incarcerated Angela Shannon came to Beveridge Street to inform other residents that he had been arrested. Angela Shannon would not accept that Ali would be locked up and asked for the other residents to contact her when Ail was eventually released. It appears that Ali was not the only one suffering from delusions. Angela Shannon seemed genuinely upset by what had happened and bizarrely had not foreseen this eventuality.
What we do know is that 17 Beveridge Street under the Management of Angela Shannon and Cornerstone had housed and employed an illegal immigrant in the house of Richard and Diana Hogben. If this same scenario had happened at a restaurant in Rusholme the management would have been charged and fined for knowingly harbouring and employing an illegal.
Mark Wiggin William Green Angela Shannon Bishop Brain Wiggin Letter 1 Wiggin Letter 2 St Bede's Film Ewan's story
