A deportation flight from the UK was cancelled after a migrant allegedly swallowed a vape battery in an attempt to avoid removal. The individual, a foreign national offender, was scheduled to board a private plane to Albania on Thursday before being transferred onward to Egypt, his home country.
According to reports, the man was held in segregated detention prior to the flight, where he was given a vape. He is said to have swallowed the device's lithium battery and was subsequently taken to hospital. After successful treatment, he was returned to detention, but the deportation flight was cancelled.
Mitie, the contractor managing overseas deportations for the Home Office, stated: 'This incident is currently being investigated. At this point, there is no evidence to suggest any wrongdoing or breach of procedure by our colleagues. Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of those in our care.' The UK Government charters private planes for deportations, and this flight was a regular service to Albania with an added leg to Egypt.
This incident follows a separate case in October, where a policing minister defended a decision to give £500 to a migrant sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison after threatening to disrupt his deportation flight. Minister Sarah Jones said removing him from the flight and returning him to custody would have cost thousands, making it 'better to get him out of our country.'
