Migrant who fled Iranian regime ‘depressed’ after being sent to Gateshead

Peter Stevens
Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:42:35 +0000

A migrant who fled Iran became depressed after being housed in Gateshead, an immigration tribunal has heard.

The 20-year-old asylum seeker, known only as FM, arrived in the UK on a small boat in 2022 and said his mental health deteriorated after being relocated to the North East town.

He later converted to Christianity, telling the tribunal it helped improve his mental health.

The Home Office initially rejected his asylum claim, with a lower-tier tribunal also dismissing his appeal.

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However, the case has now reached the Upper Tribunal due to what were described as "significant developments" in Iran.

FM, who was 16 when he arrived in Britain, said he had suffered abuse from his father and had been forced to work long hours without pay in Iran.

He also told the court his brother had been seriously injured in an accident and fell into a coma.

FM is said to have started attending church on the recommendation of a friend and later attributed his brother’s recovery to his involvement in Christianity.

The tribunal was told: "He started attending Farsi prayer sessions and has since completed the Alpha course and been baptised.

"At the time of the appeal he was undertaking a second course on Christian practice, and was regularly attending church."

An expert witness told the court FM’s conversion appeared "genuine and heartfelt", rather than an attempt to strengthen his asylum claim.

The tribunal also heard he had taken part in protests in Newcastle against the Iranian regime and appeared in a video shared by an Iranian dissident account with 54,000 followers.

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Upper Tribunal Judge Gaenor Bruce said FM had provided valid reasons for his conversion.

She ruled that developments in both Iran and his personal circumstances mean the case should be reconsidered by a different judge at the First-Tier Tribunal.

Gateshead, home to the Angel of the North, is ranked as the 53rd most deprived local authority out of 296.

Only two per cent of the town’s population is Muslim, while around 51 per cent identify as Christian - above the national average of 46 per cent.

Christians in Iran face persecution, with the regime accused of targeting converts since the war began.

There are believed to be around 800,000 Christians living in the Middle Eastern country.

Pastors have previously warned that migrants were using Christianity as a loophole to remain in Britain.