Judge grants Egyptian thug leave to remain in UK despite 19 criminal convictions | UK | News

Described as a “danger to society”, a one-man crime wave in Egypt has avoided deportation for fear he could face “ill-treatment” at home. The unnamed serial offender, who was allowed to remain anonymous at an immigration court hearing, sneaked into Britain in the back of a lorry as a 14-year-old and first sought asylum in 2016, but had not done so elsewhere in Europe.

But despite the golden opportunity for a new life, the court heard he had paid his debt to British taxpayers, paid the bill for his existence in this country and moved on to a life that way. crime. The cannabis and cocaine user, now 24, has at least 19 convictions including threatening behaviour, being in the Channel Tunnel, vandalism, assault on an emergency worker, theft, drug possession, affray, possession of an offensive weapon and robbery.

The court heard his initial appeal against being refused asylum was rejected by a first-tier immigration court judge in 2017, and he was subsequently sentenced to 27 months in prison for robbery in November 2023.

The judge at the first hearing was said to have been unimpressed by the then 16-year-old’s failure to give oral evidence, his delay in seeking asylum in the UK and his failure to seek asylum in a safe third country.

In November 2023, he was sentenced to 27 months in prison for theft. He was granted anonymity for his immigration hearings due to his “struggles” with his mental health.

He was diagnosed with significant mental illnesses, including severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and severe anxiety.

But he has now avoided deportation on human rights grounds as he is thought to be in danger of serious harm from Egyptian authorities who suspect him of links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Immigration judge Gaenor Bruce said: “The appeal will be allowed on protection grounds because I accept that there is a real risk that he will face torture or other ill-treatment if he is returned to Egypt.”

At the latest hearing at London’s Field House, expert evidence was taken from Hugh Miles, who has covered Egyptian affairs for a number of outlets including the BBC and the Guardian since 2004.

He agrees that Egyptian prisons are “filled with supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood at all levels.”

Judge Bruce acknowledged: “There is a possibility that the criminal’s father was not a member of the Brotherhood.

The judge added: “None of this may be true and there is a possibility that this family conspired to fabricate a false story on the young and impressionable appellant in the hope that it would help him gain asylum in Europe.

“On the other hand, I think there’s a good chance that he’s been told all of these things over the years, because they’re happening to his family in real time, and they’re actually true.

“Applying the lower standard of proof, I accept that his father was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, that he participated in extensive protests against the Government, that he was detained and imprisoned, that he managed to escape prison through corruption, that he has since fled to the Sinai mountains with other Muslim Brotherhood members, and that his home and lands were confiscated by the state.”

The asylum seeker claimed that he would be arrested in Egypt “to punish his father or draw him out of hiding.”

Judge Bruce was certain there was a real risk that he would be “detained as a means of ‘taking out’ his father or, in Mr Miles’ words, ‘collective punishment’ of the family”.

The same judge sparked outrage after ruling that the nephew of a Taliban commander who was granted refugee status in Britain could be joined by seven family members said to be living illegally in Türkiye.

None of them speak English and the court accepted it would impose a ‘significant burden on the public purse’ if they were allowed to move to the UK.

But according to the ruling, the relatives – the man’s parents, three sisters, a niece and nephew – “have no choice” and cannot return to Afghanistan.

His relatives applied to enter the UK in 2023, citing the ‘right to private and family life’ under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, but were rejected.

But Upper Tribunal judge Gaenor Bruce ruled that the refusal to grant entry to Britain was ‘unfairly harsh’ and allowed appeals on human rights grounds.