An illegal immigrant who has tried to leave Britain six times by stowing away on cargo ships has been jailed.

Rashid Ali, 30, has repeatedly hidden in cargo boats – including some in Avonmouth, Bristol – over the past four years in a bid to reach his native Morocco.

He has been held in an immigration detention centre for three years – costing about £218,000 – because the Home Office is unable to repatriate him due to problems with his identity.

Ali was charged with two counts of burglary for stealing a mobile phone and jacket from a tug boat and one count of criminal damage for breaking down a door to get food.

Jailing him for 160 days at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Michael Hubbard QC described his case as "'unique" and wished the UK Borders Agency "good luck" getting him home.

He said: "Yours is a unique case and that's an overused word but this case truly is unique. The whole purpose of this sentence is to enable you to be released early next week so that the UK Borders Agency can continue the good work they have carried out for a long time.

"It does mean that when you are released from prison you will of course have to spend more time in another immigration centre but I'm confident having heard what I have that you will eventually go home.

"My concern is that this man ought to be back home as soon as possible. A previous court ordered him to be deported three years ago and he has spent three years in an immigration centre and released with apparently no steps taken to deport him." Speaking to Brian Finegan, assistant director of the criminal directorate of the UK Borders Agency, Judge Hubbard said: "There's nothing we can say except over to you again and good luck in trying to get him home."

Bristol Crown Court heard how Ali arrived in Britain in 2004 claiming to be Algerian and demanded asylum.

When this was rejected, he squatted in an abandoned grain factory by the docks in Avonmouth, Bristol, and tried to find a passage home on ships.

The first ship kicked him off at Milford Haven, Wales. Then a second turned back and he was arrested in Avonmouth.

Sympathetic police gave Ali food and money but weeks later he boarded two more ships – one to Humberside and one to Scotland.

His fifth attempt ended in failure when he was found aboard a Russian ship and sent back to Avonmouth.

Unemployed Ali was jailed for nine months and then sent to a detention centre for three years, despite constantly pleading to go home.

His three years' detention is thought to have cost the British taxpayer about £1,400 per week – which totals £218,000 over three years.

He was freed in October last year but just one month later, on November 26, police found him hiding on a sixth boat at Avonmouth Docks.

A li was also charged with one count of unauthorised entry to a restricted area under the Terrorism Act, but received no punishment as he could only be fined.

Since then, he has spent 76 days in custody and will be released from jail next week because the sentence of 160 days is just over double his time served.

Paul Cook, defending Ali, said: "It's a conundrum because Ali wants to go back home, he's wanted to go back since 2004 and we want him to go back too. Essentially we have exactly the same aim but are having difficulties with the Moroccan authorities."

The court heard because Ali left Morocco aged 12 he was never issued with a passport or identity card, which are only handed out at the age of 14. This means Moroccan immigration officials cannot confirm his identity and issue him with a passport.

Brian Finegan, of the UK Borders Agency, said proving his identity is "exceptionally difficult".

He said: "Mr Ali left Morocco clandestinely on a ship, as has lately become a habit of his, at we believe the age of 12.

"To establish the identity of someone from another country there are challenges but for someone who left as a young boy it is extremely, exceptionally difficult.

"I believe the only thing that will move this forward is the high level negotiations between the UK Borders Agency and officials from the Kingdom of Morocco."

On his release from jail early next week, Ali will return to an immigration detention centre.