A NIGERIAN armed robber and crack dealer has been allowed to stay in the UK because he would be considered “possessed” in his home country.
The psychotic criminal, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for an armed robbery on a brothel in 2011.
Getty – ContributorA judge ruled against the deportation of the crack cocaine addict[/caption]
The serial offender was then back behind bars seven years later for supplying crack cocaine.
A deportation order was made in 2014, but the crook still remains in Britain a decade on, The Telegraph reported.
The convict, who “hears voices all the time”, is back in the community after appealing the order on human rights grounds.
A judge ruled against the deportation of the drug addict because he is undergoing treatment and won’t receive the same care in Nigeria.
A report prepared by Amnesty International for this appeal read: “It is our assessment that on return to Nigeria [the appellant] is likely … to encounter widespread attitudes that confirm and amplify his belief in demonic forces and witchcraft as being at the root of his problems.
“He is, moreover, at substantial risk of being identified as suffering from demonic forces and faces a resultant risk of being targeted as a result.”
Stephen Smith, an upper tribunal judge, said: “We note the appellant’s recurring belief that his mental ill-health is a result of being possessed.
“We assess that him expressing this belief would increase the likelihood that others will see his illness as being a manifestation of possession.”
The man, who has spent much of his time here in a secure mental health hospital, said “he really wants to stay away from crime“.
But experts have said he is a “high risk of serious harm” to the public.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We remain resolute in ensuring there are no barriers to deport foreign criminals, as it is in the public interest for them to be removed swiftly.”
Countries that refuse to take back offenders face visa shut-out, warn ministers
COUNTRIES that refuse to take back their offenders face a visa shut-out, ministers have warned.
Those who fail to co-operate in Britain’s deportation blitz would face sanctions, immigration minister Angela Eagle declared yesterday.
This could include blocking visas, making them more expensive, or deliberately delaying their approval.
Ms Eagle put foreign governments on notice after being challenged to use the powers from Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
She said: “If co-operation with countries falls below the levels expected, we stand ready to use all levers available to us to encourage action — including the power to impose visa penalties.”
Labour have pledged to ramp up returns for migrants with no right to be here, either because they have committed a crime or arrived illegally.
They have hailed 19,000 deportations since coming to power from July.
But most of these were voluntarily returns, and are still dwarfed by the 25,000 small boat arrivals in that time.
Officials say four of the UK’s biggest-ever deportation flights have already taken off, carrying more than 850 people.
Yesterday Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said releasing footage of deportations is part of efforts to restore public confidence in the immigration system.
She added: “That’s why, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we have put significant additional resource into immigration enforcement and returns, so those who have no right to be here, particularly those who have committed crimes in our country, are removed as swiftly as possible.”
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