Anger as Somali pervert wins right to sue Britain

[grandpakhalif]

EXPRESS.co.uk
Friday, March 16, 2012

A SOMALI sex offender who sidestepped Home Office attempts to deport him yesterday won the right to sue the Government for failing to release him quickly enough.
Bashir Barrow, 51, was originally allowed to stay in the UK after fleeing his war-torn homeland.

But instead of repaying the favour he ended up costing the country hundreds of thousands and went on the run to avoid being sent home.

Now the pervert – who once turned up to an immigration hearing so drunk it had to be abandoned – could be in line for a cash payout after the Court of Appeal gave him permission to continue a taxpayer-funded bid for compensation.

The UK Border Agency paid out £4million in compensation in 2010 for 152 cases – including many unlawful detention claims – at an average of £26,600 each.

Ukip Euro-MP and home affairs spokesman Gerard Batten hit out at the farcical situation. He said: “It is getting crazy. Not only can we not deport foreign criminals we don’t want here, but we are finding we have to pay them for the privilege of staying in the country.

“This is exactly the kind of reason that we have to get rid of the Human Rights Act.” Yesterday the Court of Appeal heard how Barrow arrived in the UK in 1995. He was refused asylum but was granted exceptional leave to remain that year and indefinite leave to remain in 2002. Within a year he was jailed for indecent assault, theft and breaching a community order. He went on to commit a string of driving offences and returned to jail in 2007.

Home Office staff had wanted to deport Barrow after his first jail term but he went missing.

By the time of the second deportation attempt, in May 2008, he had written to the European Court of Human Rights pleading for help.

Strasbourg judges then ruled that sending the criminal back would violate his human rights. He was later granted bail from an immigration centre in September 2009, when a judge ruled that – although he was “a pest” – he had to be released.

Barrister Shivani Jegarajah told the appeal judges her client’s criminal record was “not serious” and he should have been released soon after the European Court ruling. Lord Justice Davis, Sir John Thomas and Mr Justice Black ordered a High Court review of Barrow’s case.