He said he swam from France. He had no ID. He said he made money in push-up contests, had thrown away his toothbrush and tried to prove his nationality by quoting the Bard himself. This week, he was jailed – and still no one knows who he really is.
This is the full story (so far) of the mysterious David Law…
After months of baffling investigations, Law was yesterday sentenced to 15 months behind bars by Jersey’s Royal Court for one count of knowingly entering Jersey without leave, and one count of seeking to obtain or secure the avoidance or postponement of enforcement action against him.
“This was a highly unusual case which has required detailed work over many months, from officers within the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service,” Jersey Customs and Immigration Service said.
“Despite extensive investigations, the true identity of the individual is still unknown, and enquiries continue to be made to identify his identity and nationality.
“The deception used by the defendant was reflected in the sentence handed down by the Court.”
Where did he come from?
On 19 September 2024 at around 19:05, two members of the public heard a voice calling for help from the beach in Rozel Bay.
They spotted a man in the sea holding a brightly coloured buoyancy aid, and made a call to 999.
The fire and ambulance services both attended, and the coastguard was informed.
Law was brought ashore, and told the rescue team that he had been swimming around the island.
He was wearing a short leg wetsuit, a swim cap, a pair of goggles and a belt bag, which contained €265 in notes.
The man was treated by paramedics and transported to the General Hospital. He was described as “cold to touch” and “hyperventilating” when he arrived at the hospital.
Law was met and questioned by customs officers at the hospital.
He said that he had been in the water for 13 hours and had swum from a beach in France – but could not state which beach.
Law claimed to have swum to Jersey in order to return home to London, but stated that he. hadn’t had a fixed abode for the last 15 years.
He stated that he was a British citizen but had no identification or travel documentation to prove this claim.
Law was subsequently arrested as an illegal entrant under the Immigration Act 1971.
An “extensive” investigation
The following day, customs officers returned to the beach where Law had been found.
They located a red buoyancy aid wedged into the rocks with a small clear water bottle taped to the handle.
In the front pocket of the aid was a contact lens case and a pair of glasses.
Law was interviewed under caution by customers officers, and decline legal advice.
During the interview, the man maintained that he had swum to Jersey from an unknown beach in France.
He explained that he wished to return to London where he was born, but would not specify where in London his home was.
Law said that he did not hold any other nationalities and did not speak any other languages apart from English.
He stated that he did not have a passport and answered “no comment” to questions about whether he possessed any other identity documents and which countries these were issued in.
Law claimed that he had no family or dependents in Jersey, the UK, the EU or anywhere else in the world.
He said that his father was a British man named Joseph Law who was born in 1950 and died in 2002, and his mother was a British woman named Milan Law who was born in 1950 and died in 1995.
Law could not remember the specific date of birth for either of his parents, but explained that they both died in South-East Asia.
He added that he was not sure who his grandparents were or if he was adopted.
A “drifting” lifestyle
Law explained that he was born in London before being taken by his parents to India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar where he lived for at least 10 years.
He claimed to be homeschooled by his parents and said he never received any educational qualifications.
It was put to him that he speaks with an accent, to which he dismissed and said that English was his first and only language.
He offered to prove how British he was by competing quoting Shakespeare to the customs officers.
Law claimed to have arrived in Europe by boat when he was 17 and explained that he lived a “drifting” lifestyle, walking between different cities with no profession.
Busking and push-ups
He said that he made money by either busking on the streets or by challenging members of the public in push-up competitions.
He explained that he does not need to eat a lot of food, adding that his lifestyle gave him the flexibility to complete endurance activities – such as long-distance swimming and running – whenever he wished.
When asked about his personal hygiene, Law said that he doesn’t sweat much – adding that, if he wished to shower, he would use a five-litre bottle of water and pour it over himself in the park.
He also claimed to have thrown away the toothbrush he used on the beach when he left France.
Law explained that he had travelled through France for two days before his swim to Jersey.
Prior to that, he said he had been in Geneva for three or four weeks.
He explained that he travelled from Geneva to Paris via Lyon by train, which he paid for by giving cash to members of the public who would pay for him by credit card.
Law would not confirm when he had entered Europe, but said that he never had contact with border control or police. He would not confirm whether he had a Visa for any country.
Law also stated that he did not have a telephone, bank card or email address.
He said that he had no known medical conditions, disabilities, or infectious diseases, and did not know the last time he went for a check-up or took medication.
He added that he did not get check-ups for his eyesight, and later claimed that his contact lenses and glasses were 15 years old.
How did he swim from Jersey to France?
Law claimed that he trained for the France-to-Jersey swim by swimming in Lake Geneva for eight or nine hours at a time.
He said he saved up money to complete the swim, buying his wetsuit in Paris and his goggles and swim cap in Switzerland.
Initially, Law said that someone bought him the tow-float – but then changed his story to say a member of the public who had lost a challenge to him bought him a “brand-new” one.
The man also claimed to have completed a marathon in either Vienna or Prague by measuring a 4.2km street and running it 10 times.
Law said that the swim from France to Jersey was approximately 25km but explained that, as the conditions were windy and wavy, he must have swum in zig-zags and therefore a much longer distance.
He initially claimed to have left France at 03:30 at the exact time of dawn, but later said it was at 07:30.
Law said that he had researched the swim and knew it was difficult to land on the east side of Jersey due to the rocks, but explained that landing on a sandy beach would mean an extra 5km of swimming.
He claimed that he did not get dropped into the sea by boat, jet-ski or any other vessel, nor did he pay anyone to assist him during the swim.
The man said he had expected to be collected by law enforcement on arrival, and suspected he would need medical care once in Jersey.
Law did not want to answer when asked if he had told anyone he was completing the swim, but advised that the purpose of the swim was to get home to London.
He said he planned to continue making money through busking and challenges on the streets.
Law said that swimming was a better way to travel to the UK than contacting an embassy.
He said that he did not want to use the embassy as a “ticket office or charity”, but wanted to do it the “hard way”.
Law claimed to have never had any engagement with customs, immigration or police in any country.
He said he had no evidence of travel through the EU, no reason why he could not be returned to any country he had travelled through, and no explanation for any other countries he visited.
Law remained in customs detention overnight and was later transferred to HMP La Moye.
“A fabrication designed to avoid enforcement”
Law was interviewed again in prison, and maintained his name and date of birth as previously given.
He mentioned that his father was of Hong Kong Cantonese descent, and said he believed that the family name could also be spelt ‘Lau’ but was unsure.
Law claimed to have held a British passport when younger and expressed distrust in the Government, accusing customs officers of pressuring him to slip up.
He told the officers that they had enough information to conduct the necessary checks to verify his identity.
When recounting his childhood, Law said he had idolised his father’s friend Steven Hancock – but was reluctant to give further details apart from that Mr Hancock was a British humanitarian worker in Myanmar.
The interview was concluded as the man said he had nothing further to add, and encouraged officers to continue their investigation.
Law was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in deception under the Immigration Act 1971. He requested legal advice which he received by telephone.
The man was interviewed under caution, but gave no comment answers to all material questions.
Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said that Law’s “incredible story of how he arrived in Jersey is a fabrication designed to avoid enforcement”.
She said that he did not give a single verifiable account during the course of the investigation, and the checks on his identity did not produce any results.
No matches were found for Law’s DNA or fingerprints, and he did not appear on any immigration databases.
He also does not appear on the England and Wales General Register Office which records births, deaths and marriages in England and Wales, and there is no British Passport history for Law or his parents.
The Court also yesterday recommended that Law be deported – a decision which now rests with the Home Affairs Minister.