Hounslow Councillor Loses Appeal Over Illegal Immigrant Fine
Nanny employed by Hina Mir reported her to police
Picture: Cllr Hina Mir
December 9, 2025
Hounslow councillor Hina Mir has failed in her appeal against a £40,000 fine for breaching immigration law, adding to a series of controversies that have placed her under growing scrutiny.
On Monday 8 December, City of London County Court dismissed Cllr Mir’s appeal against the penalty imposed earlier this year after she was found to have hired an illegal immigrant as a nanny and paid her cash in hand.
The court heard the 45-year-old, who represents Feltham West and served as Hounslow’s deputy mayor in 2020, had employed Indian student Himanshi Gongley to care for her two children at £1,200 per month up until August 2024. Ms Gongley’s student visa had expired, leaving her with no legal right to remain in the UK. Despite Cllr Mir claiming that she was just a 'social visitor' who came to her house to 'watch TV and chill' she deducted £400 from Ms Gongley's monthly payment for rent.
The arrangement came to light when Ms Gongley flagged down a police car last year, claiming she had been treated like a slave. The court was told that she was required to be “on alert 24 hours a day for six days a week” but Cllr Mir said that she was supporting Ms Gongley. Judge Stephen Hellman, quoted by The Sun, said, “The inconsistencies in the appellant’s evidence mean I cannot place much reliance on her evidence as I normally would.”
Cllr Mir is a solicitor by profession and has served as Chair of the Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel on Hounslow Council.
Ms Gongley has since been refused asylum in the UK and deported back to India.
The failed appeal follows a string of damaging headlines for Cllr Mir. Just last week, her BMW was photographed parked in a disabled bay outside Hounslow Council offices during a full council meeting, without displaying a blue badge.
Her husband, property investor Bakhtiar Abbasi was sentenced in May 2023 to 12 years in prison for fraud and forgery offences. The case, reported in Private Eye, prompted questions about whether Cllr Mir had properly declared her husband’s interests in her councillor register.
The Labour Party in Hounslow has suspended Cllr Mir as it launches an investigation. It is refusing to comment further while this is ongoing.
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