The European Court of Human Rights has prevented the UK from deporting a 24-year-old Nigerian man who was convicted of rape as a teenager, ruling that removal would be disproportionate to his right to family life.
The man, identified only as AA, arrived in the UK at age 13 and was convicted alongside a group of boys of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2002. He spent four years in a Young Offenders Institution. The trial judge described him as an intelligent teenager who manipulated the victim, causing a profound and distressing effect on her life.
While AA was in custody, his mother obtained permanent residence in the UK, extending to her children. After release, he attended university, earned a master's degree, and worked for a London local authority. A parole board assessed him as low-risk of reoffending.
The Home Office had served a deportation order in 2004, but the Strasbourg court ruled that AA's exemplary conduct and rehabilitation over seven years outweighed the seriousness of his offence. The court noted that the government had not produced evidence that he still posed a risk.
A UK Border Agency spokesman expressed disappointment, stating the government is determined to remove foreign criminals. However, the Aire Centre, which represented AA, welcomed the judgment, saying it recognised the importance of rehabilitating juvenile offenders.
