A DRUG smuggler who was deported three times has won the right to stay in the UK after judges ruled it would upset his family life.
Fraudster Oduola Toye snuck back into the country using fake names after being booted out repeatedly for smuggling Class A drugs.
AlamyThe serial fraudster was allowed to stay in the UK – despite being deported three times previously[/caption]
The Home Office deemed the Ghanaian to be a threat to public safety due to his history of drug convictions and fraud.
But despite using a string of false names over 40 years, he has now been allowed to remain because he fathered three children here.
An immigration tribunal ruled deportation would breach his right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Finding in favour of Toye, Judge Sarah Pinder deemed the risk of the drug smuggler re-offending to be “low”, The Telegraph reported.
In 1987, Toya was found guilty of deception after operating under the fake name Sunday Ogundare.
Following his conviction, he was fined and deported to Nigeria.
In 1993, he successfully applied for a visitor’s visa under another name, Ogundare Badmus.
But he was snared upon arrival into the UK after he was found with illegal drugs, before being sentenced to four years in prison.
He was once again deported to Nigeria in 1995, but breached the order by returning to British shores in 1996.
In 2001, his application for indefinite leave to remain in the country under the name Oduola Toye was granted.
But two years later, he was arrested on suspicion of multiple counts of fraud and officers discovered he was linked to various identities.
After voluntarily leaving the country in June 2003 and returning a month later, he was deported to Nigeria for a third time in October.
But the serial offender returned to the UK through Ireland in 2005, once again opting for a different name, Adesoji Babatunde.
He managed to evade cops for several years, but was caught in June 2011 and warned he faced deportation.
A court heard Toye repeatedly appealed against the decision and the case was delayed by more than decade.
The Home Office reportedly blamed the disruption on Toye’s identity fraud and numerous names.
Judge Pinder added: “There is no evidence to demonstrate that he continued to use multiple or false identities after he applied for revocation of the deportation order in 2011.
“On this basis, I am satisfied he has reformed his life since seeking revocation in 2011.
“He has continued to raise a family and provided much physical and emotional support to his children.
“The period of non-offending is plainly lengthy, and I conclude that the risk of him committing further offences is, at most, low.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has faced mounting calls to leave the European Court of Human Rights.
And Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has vowed to quit the ECHR as part of his mass deportation blueprint.
Speaking on Tuesday, the political heavyweight unveiled Operation Restoring Justice.
He promised to detain and deport every single illegal migrant in Britain – and ban them for life from ever returning.
He said the crackdown could see up to 600,000 people deported in the first parliament alone.
This would lead to savings of £17billion over five years and more than £42billion over a decade, he added.
In a fiery speech at an aircraft hangar in Oxfordshire, he blasted the crisis as an “invasion” and a “growing threat to our national security”.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “While it is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases, we strongly disagree with this judgement and have sought permission to appeal.
“This government deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year in office, a 14% increase on the previous year.
“We will continue to do everything we can to remove these criminals from our country.”
Keir Starmer has faced mounting calls to leave the ECHR
i-ImagesNigel Farage has vowed to pull out of the ECHR if Reform win the election[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
