Asylum seeker can't be deported from UK despite drug and weapons convictions

has been allowed to stay in the UK after becoming "socially and culturally integrated" in the UK despite his "significant number of an immigration tribunal heard. The Guinean man has previous convictions for drug dealing and carrying weapons.

The man, who can not be named for legal reasons, came to the UK as an unaccompanied child in 2007 and has amassed numerous convictions, including those related to drug dealing and carrying a knife, . But lost an appeal against a decision to allow the man to challenge attempts to deport him. The man was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment for a criminal charge of possessing an offensive weapon in 2016, the tribunal heard.

He was later jailed for two years and eight months after being convicted of four counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs in 2018, which triggered the Home Office move to deport him.

The man was sentenced again in 2022 to 32 weeks' imprisonment for possession of a blade.

In June 2023, his appeal against deportation went to the first-tier tribunal, which accepted that he was "socially and culturally integrated into the UK" despite periods of homelessness and repeated criminal offending.

The first-tier tribunal allowed the appeal on human rights grounds and also found there would be "very significant obstacles to his reintegration within Guinea".

The tribunal heard that the Home Office argued that the decision had "failed to consider all of the relevant circumstances and the judge's reasoning was inadequate."

Despite his significant number of convictions, Judge Leonie Hirst said that Lisa Davies, a consultant forensic psychologist, found that the man "presented with a low risk of reoffending and a low risk of causing serious harm if he were to reoffend".

Judge Hirst added that the first-tier tribunal considered that the man had "arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied minor in 2007 and had resided in the UK ever since; had been educated in the UK and undertaken employment; had received social services support as a minor and medical support; and had had a long-term, albeit on-and-off, relationship with his girlfriend and her family".

The man sought asylum when he arrived in the UK, but this was refused, and his appeal rights were "exhausted" in 2011, the tribunal heard.

Judge Hirst added: "The conclusion that despite his offending the Respondent was socially and culturally integrated into the UK was one which was open to the judge on the evidence.

"His consideration of the various factors was clearly and adequately reasoned...there was no error of law in his reasoning or conclusion."

She also said there was "no error" in the first-tier tribunal's finding that the man "would not be enough of an insider in Guinea to be accepted there and be able to operate on a day to day basis".