Jamaican criminal who won battle to avoid deportation from the UK after his release from jail is charged with a new murder eight months later

  • Man was to be deported in February but was removed from the flight last minute
  • Now, the Jamaican man, who was jailed for drugs and weapon offences, has been charged with murder, attempted murder and possessing banned weapon
  • It comes as Government faces campaign to halt next Jamaica deportation flight 

A Jamaican convicted criminal who won a battle to avoid deportation from the UK when he was released from jail has been charged with murder.

The man had served a six-year prison sentence in the UK for weapons and drugs offences and was due to be deported in February.

However, according to the Telegraph, the man claimed the deportation would violate his rights and he was removed from the flight.

The newspaper reports that within eight months, the man had been charged with murder of a young man, attempted murder and possession of a banned weapon.

It comes as campaigners are trying to halt a scheduled deportation flight to Jamaica amid the ongoing Windrush saga but the Government said the flight includes 'dangerous foreign criminals' - including convicted rapists and murderers - and none of the offenders are eligible for the Windrush scheme.

Jamaican convict who won battle to avoid deportation from UK has been charged with murder

Jamaican convict who won battle to avoid deportation from UK has been charged with murder

Pictured: Campaigners are pictured outside Downing Street demanding that the government halt the deportation flight entirely in February of this year

Pictured: Campaigners are pictured outside Downing Street demanding that the government halt the deportation flight entirely in February of this year

Conservative MPs called for more steps to be taken by the Government to ensure that human-rights lawyers cannot 'thwart' efforts to deport foreign criminals.

But Chris Philp, the immigration minister, confirmed that the Government intends to legislate next year to 'close' these 'problematic areas'. 

Shadow immigration minister Holly Lynch said Labour had 'no faith' that the Government 'has done its due diligence' in relation to those on the flight.

She said: 'Of course, we recognise that those who engage in violent and criminal acts must face justice, but we also hear that at least one person on that flight has a Windrush generation grandfather.'

The SNP's Dr Philippa Whitford added that 'lessons have not been learned' from the Windrush scandal.

In response to Ms Lynch, Mr Philp said: 'Over 6,300 people have now been given citizenship quite rightly and 13,300 documents have been issued to those people who suffered terrible wrongs in the past.

'In terms of compensation, 226 people have now received claims totalling in excess of £2.1 million, with a great deal more to pay out.

'I can also confirm that all of these cases on the plane have been individually assessed and none of them are eligible for the Windrush compensation scheme.

Chris Philp, the immigration minister, confirmed the Government intends to legislate next year to 'close problematic areas' in response to concerns over activist lawyers holding up flights

Chris Philp, the immigration minister, confirmed the Government intends to legislate next year to 'close problematic areas' in response to concerns over activist lawyers holding up flights

'It is completely wrong to conflate the people who were victims of terrible injustice in the Windrush cases with these cases who are nothing to do with Windrush - have no Windrush entitlement at all and who have committed terrible criminal offences.'

The group of 57 criminals on the original passenger manifest were handed jail sentences totalling a combined 228 years, plus the murderer who was handed a life sentence.

Offences committed by the group also included rape, child sex offences, manslaughter, gun and drug crimes, and GBH.

It is understood most the offenders due to be on the flight came to Britain as adults, with a few who arrived as teenage minors. None was born in the UK.

The specially-chartered flight is thought to have cost the taxpayer several hundred thousand pounds.

It comes as the Home Office reportedly struck a deal with Jamaica not to deport those who arrived in the UK as children on the controversial flight.

According to the Guardian, the Caribbean island's high commissioner Seth Ramocan said officials agreed the arrangement - for those who arrived in Britain under the age of 12 - following diplomatic discussions. But the Home Office has not confirmed the details.

Meanwhile, Conservative Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw) said: 'Is (Mr Philp) as concerned as I am by reports that activist lawyers are trying to thwart the Government's legal efforts to deport these criminals and to keep the British people safe?'

Mr Philp told MPs: 'We do find that there are last-minute claims made often immediately before removal or deportation, often 24 hours in advance - even though there has been plenty of opportunity previously - apparently with the expressed intention of frustrating the process.

'There is also opportunity for people to raise repeated claims, in sequence, sometimes over a period of many years, in a manner that would appear to me to be potentially vexatious.

'That is something I think the Government does need to act to sort out, (Mr Clarke-Smith) is right, and we do intend to legislate next year to close precisely the problematic areas that (Mr Clarke-Smith) rightly refers to.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) faces a battle to remove more than 30 Jamaican criminals including murderers, rapists and paedophiles aboard a charter flight, on Wednesday

Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) faces a battle to remove more than 30 Jamaican criminals including murderers, rapists and paedophiles aboard a charter flight, on Wednesday

Fellow Conservative MP Philip Davies suggested there would be support for action to make it easier to deport foreign nationals who commit any offence.

He said: 'Can I say to (Chris Philp) that the overwhelming majority of my constituents will absolutely support what he's doing, but actually would want him to ignore the siren voices opposite and, actually, to make it easier to deport foreign nationals who commit offences, perhaps those who commit any offence at all, not just those who have to serve over a year in prison.'

Tory Ben Bradley asked Mr Philp to 'call out those celebrities who spent their weekends trying to use their public profiles to shame businesses into not helping remove murderers from the UK'.

A number of Home Office deportation flights have seen offenders block removal by lodging new human rights appeals or claiming they are victims of modern slavery.

In September a flight - which cost the taxpayer around £100,000 - took off with a lone failed asylum seeker aboard after lawyers for 29 other candidates lodged last minute appeals.

Home Secretary Priti Patel plans to streamline rules so that grounds of appeal must be lodged at the beginning of a case, with new legislation due next year.

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