Pilot who flew illegal immigrants into airfield near Corby hit with restrictions to try to stop his criminal lifestyle
A man who flew a plane full of Albanians into the country illegally has been given a serious crime prevention order designed to stop him from committing similar misdeeds.
The National Crime Agency has today made public the order against Richard Charles Styles, 55, which means he must stick to a list of strict rules including informing the authorities if he’s going near an airfield.
Styles was caught smuggling Albanians into Deenethorpe Airfield in 2022 as part of an organised crime gang.
The qualified pilot was at the controls during the risky plot, which eventually saw four immigrants taken into custody after they were captured having been driven from the airfield to the retail park in Phoenix Parkway.
Styles was flew to Belgium to meet an associate and then flew the four migrants into the United Kingdom. He was arrested upon landing the plane and convicted of facilitating a breach of immigration law.
His order means he must notify the authorities of his mobile phones, that he cannot own private aircraft, and that he must notify authorities of foreign travel. He is also banned from importing certain items and must notify the authorities if he wants to enter and airport or airfield.
Styles, of St Albans, has a long criminal history.
He has nine convictions for 21 offences beginning in 1994. In 1997 he was convicted in Boulogne of attempting to smuggle drugs using a light aircraft. And then in 2003 he was convicted of using a plane to smuggle ecstasy tablets out of Belgium, and drop cannabis into Jersey the same year while he was on the run from the Belgian authorities. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006 for trying to import cannabis resin.
In 2022 he was given an 18-month sentence for trying to pilot a plane concealing 15 Albanians from a Rotterdam airfield.
It’s expected Styles will be released soon after serving half of a seven year sentence received for the Deenethorpe conviction.
Now the NCA has made public the Serious Crime Prevention Order made in respect of Styles to help prevent him from committing more crime and making him less attractive to organised crime gangs looking to recruit.
Alison Abbott, Head of the NCA’s Prison and Lifetime Management Unit, said:
“Offenders involved in organised crime groups so often think they can return to their criminal ventures once they are released from prison. But making them subject to Serious Crime Prevention Orders mean we will continue to monitor their activity and prevent them from engaging in further criminality.
“Styles was a key players in organised immigration crime and his SCPO means he will be less attractive for recruitment to criminal groups, and even communicating with him will be risky.
“Organised immigration crime remains a priority for the NCA and these orders show we will use all powers available to us to dismantle criminal gangs and prevent further harm to the people they exploit.
”Orders are enforced by the NCA and action is taken against offenders who breach the terms of their orders."
Anyone with relevant information on anyone subject to a SCPO should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the Crimestoppers website.