A convicted serial burglar is facing his fifth deportation from Britain after claiming he would be at risk from an Albanian crime gang if he returned.
The Albanian national, who is in his 30s and has a child in Britain with an estranged partner, was granted anonymity by the court and has previously been convicted of a series of offences – while being deported by the Home Office four times.
He subsequently returned to Britain illegally after each deportation and is now challenging a fresh removal order, where he has applied for asylum, citing a return to Albania would put his life at risk.
At a hearing last week at Taylor House Immigration Tribunal Centre in central London, the man said he had been forced to return to Britain because a gang he feared could locate him too easily elsewhere in Europe.
The man’s representative, Eric Fripp, argued his client should remain anonymous because he was pursuing an asylum claim. Judge Ravinder Bagral granted the application.
However, on the day of the hearing, he appeared to post a video on social media showing himself in a waiting area at the tribunal. The location was identified in the accompanying caption, the Daily Mail reports.
The footage also appeared to breach restrictions prohibiting photography and filming inside court buildings. Those who breach the rules can potentially face contempt proceedings and a prison sentence of up to two years.
Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, said: “Open justice exists so the public can see how decisions are made in their name.
The Albanian national was granted anonymity by the court
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HOME OFFICE“Granting anonymity to a career criminal who films himself in court for social media while facing his fifth deportation, over a threat he never reported to police, makes a mockery of that principle. The public deserves better.”
The Home Office’s representative, Khdeeja Khan, told the tribunal the man had committed a series of burglaries in Britain, including offences allegedly committed after each of his four previous illegal returns.
She asked him: “Do you accept you have continuously committed serious crimes in the UK involving burglaries? Do you accept continually breaching UK border laws and breaching a deportation order four times?”
He accepted his offences were “very serious”, but said fears for his safety had left him no choice but to return.
The man told the tribunal he first came to Britain aged 13, and later became involved with what he described as a powerful Albanian crime gang.
He claimed gang members forced him to participate in burglaries before turning against him when he tried to leave – looking for him within weeks.
He told the tribunal: “The gang has been in contact in Albania. They kidnapped me and once put a knife to my neck. I was lucky to get away. I tried to stay in Europe, but in Europe it was too easy to find me there, so I had to come here.”
He also claimed his family had become involved in a blood feud and his uncle had been shot two years ago – alleging “corrupt local police” had “closed the case”.
The appellant claimed he would be at risk from an Albanian crime gang if he returned
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GETTYMs Khan challenged his account, noting he had not reported the alleged threats to police in Albania or Britain.
He replied: “The reason I didn’t report anything in Albania is because the police are corrupt and the gang is very powerful with the police around there.”
The tribunal also heard he regularly posted photographs appearing to show him in luxury cars and nightclubs. Ms Khan questioned why someone fearful of being located would publicise his whereabouts online.
The man said he “felt safe” in Britain while accepting that social media posts could be viewed worldwide.
He also claimed previous media coverage of his criminal history had affected his mental health.
The hearing was adjourned pending Judge Bagral’s ruling on his appeal and asylum claim.