A paedophile has escaped deportation amid claims he would face persecution in Iraq because he is bisexual. Known only as MA due to an anonymity order, the man is believed to have entered the UK illegally in September 2017.
In November 2018, he was jailed for 10 months for abusing a child and put on the sex offenders register. Home Office officials had wanted to deport him and papers were signed in 2019 to remove him from Britain.
However, he has had a reprieve after telling an immigration tribunal he should be protected on human rights grounds “on the basis of his bisexuality” as he was at risk of “honour-based violence”. The Mirror reports he also claimed protection under his right to family life in the UK.
Contesting the ruling, Home Secretary Suella Braverman claimed MA told “numerous lies”.
Government lawyers said: “It is not accepted the appellant is at risk of persecution because of his sexuality and it is considered his deportation is in the public interest given the offence committed and likelihood of reoffending.”
But upper tribunal judge Therese Kamara, sitting in Central London, backed the initial ruling. She told the appeal hearing: “The fear of persecution at the hands of his family owing to his sexuality is a relevant factor.
“As is the potential risk from the public, discrimination by the authorities [and] the absence of protection for LGBTI people.”
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