Young Bermudian men who have lost brothers, cousins and friends to gun violence are fleeing to the UK in fear of their lives.Experts here say there has been an exodus since May 2009, with some moving to London and Birmingham but many resettling in Nottingham, a city in the East Midlands with its own well-documented gang problems.One source told The Royal Gazette that Nottingham had become something of a hub for local youths, many of whom have taken advantage of the council housing and state benefits available to them thanks to their British passports.The brother of one of the 16 men murdered since May 2009 lists a suburb of Nottingham as his new hometown on Facebook.He has left his family in Bermuda to seek refuge there, signing up to study at a local college. Others are doing the same and getting the benefit of educational opportunities on offer or seeking work.But some who were caught up in gang life here are understood to have already fallen foul of the law there and gained criminal convictions in Nottingham and nearby Leicester.Preacher Scott Smith said he believed at least 50 young Bermudian males had relocated to the UK in the last two years and not all were ready to turn over a new leaf.“I have talked to a couple of them and, some of them, they are doing okay. But this is the thing: when you take a gangbanger and you change his geographical living arrangements, does that stop him from being a gangbanger?“No, it doesn't. People think ‘just send them to England'. But unless he's going to school he's going to get caught in a gang and do the same thing.”Carlton Simmons, president of the Youth on the Move charity, said there were “tons” of young Bermudian men in the UK as a direct result of the increased shootings here.“It's got to be at least 40 or 50,” he estimated. “Pretty much all the younger brothers [of those shot] are gone, first cousins.“These are the things that will get you.“There is without doubt a number of young men who have fled to the UK because of fears for their safety. There's also a number of men's families who have sent them away for their safety.“Most of them have criminal records or things that have made them ineligible to travel to the US or Canada. The UK has become their only sanctuary, somewhere they can travel with impunity.”He said some of the men were still entrenched in a criminal lifestyle but were much more likely to make positive changes abroad than at home.“One thing about living in a different country: it does teach you to appreciate that the world is a lot bigger than we think it is, especially living in Bermuda.“If they stay there for years, they will not be able to continue to live the life they lived in Bermuda. Getting off the Island is ultimately going to be a good thing for the country and for the individual.”Sixteen men, aged between 22 and 47, have been fatally shot in Bermuda since May 2009 and police say all the murders are due to ongoing gang rivalries.But not all the victims were involved in gangs themselves; some were just unlucky enough to be related to those embroiled in violent crime.Mr Simmons said young men from certain neighbourhoods lived every day with the knowledge that “any day could be their day” to die.“Many people feel they can't escape their past or have few options for a bright future,” he said. “There still hasn't been an avenue created for young men to leave gangs and stay here.”Pastor Leroy Bean, from the anti-gang initiative CARTEL, has helped send about 20 to 25 men overseas, providing funds for airfares and other expenses.The majority have gone to Britain where, he said: “It's easier to go on the dole. I think most of them, probably 90 something percent, have.”The first thing they do on landing in the UK, he explained, is obtain a national insurance number, which allows them to work or claim Jobseeker's Allowance.“I know of a few that have found work because they have phoned back for references. I know of a few that are looking to stay down there.“A lot of them are looking for a new way of life. You can say they are afraid but I don't think it's all the time necessarily fear as much as just ‘I need a change'.”He said if someone was perceived as a target or a threat by a gang, then their departure from the Island “definitely has a way of contributing to the control of violence”.“I think Bermuda can probably even look at that there a little bit more,” he said. “I'm not saying that they are supposed to be out of the environment for life. But some people, if you can take them out and change their psyche, they start to perceive things a little bit differently.”Detective Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro, from Bermuda Police Service, said there had been “quite a lot of family members” of shooting victims who had relocated overseas of their own accord and not as part of the justice protection programme. “They are all over, not just in England,” he said.A spokeswoman for the UK's Department of Work and Pensions said no figures were available on Bermudians receiving benefits as the nationalities of recipients are not recorded.Christopher Joell-Deshields. assistant director of the Government of Bermuda London Office, said: “Unfortunately, there are no statistics to indicate the number of Bermudians that have relocated to the UK as they are free to enter as and when they wish, like all other British citizens.“We have just started a small campaign to encourage Bermudians living in the UK to register with the office.”The Departments of Immigration and Statistics said they did not keep statistics on emigration.