Aigars Balsevics, the former mayor of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, will be deported to Latvia after a series of legal U-turns. He was jailed for six and a half years in 2023 for raping a woman twice in her own home in 2021. The court heard that the victim cried and repeatedly told him 'no', but Balsevics ignored her, and when she tried to leave the room, he stopped her and raped her again.
Deportation Order Reinstated After Legal Battle
The deportation order was first issued in 2023, but Balsevics made written representations claiming a human rights violation. His representatives argued that 'very compelling circumstances' outweighed the need to deport him based on his family and private life. The Home Office rejected this, but a judge later found the decision to be 'unduly harsh'. The Home Secretary then appealed to the Upper Tribunal, arguing the judge had failed to apply the correct legal tests.
Upper Tribunal Judge Susan Kebede dismissed Balsevics' appeal, stating that the evidence 'falls short of demonstrating very compelling circumstances outweighing the public interest in deportation'. She added that his removal to Latvia would not be disproportionate and would not breach Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. Balsevics is due for conditional release in December next year.
Government Vows to Remove Foreign Criminals
A Government Home Office spokesperson said: 'We will do everything in our power to remove foreign criminals from British soil.' They noted that more than 70,000 illegal migrants and foreign national offenders have been returned since the current government took office, a 41% increase. The deportation order had gone back and forth several times before the final ruling.
