Migrant With 42 Convictions To Stay In UK After Judge Says He Would 'Struggle Mentally'

A Ugandan migrant having 42 convictions in the UK cannot be deported to his home nation after a judge ruled he "struggled mentally". The judge said the 44-year-old man, identified as MW, would also struggle to deal with his diabetes and opioid addiction, according to a report in The Telegraph.

"The main concern with regard to the appellant relocating to Uganda is the length of time which he has been away from the country coupled with his vulnerability as an individual suffering from PTSD with a history of drug and alcohol abuse and the lack of support in Uganda," the judgment stated.

"I find that it is more likely than not that the appellant would struggle mentally on his return to Uganda, that he would have a real lack of emotional support to assist him in reintegrating and that his mental health will impact on his ability to find employment, accommodation and forge links in Uganda."

The drug-addled migrant has been living in the UK since the age of six but has had a prolific crime career. He first served a sentence as a minor in 1999 for robbery and possession of a blade. In December 2001, he was jailed for two months for fraud, and in December 2008, he was sentenced to three years and six months for actual bodily harm and robbery.

In 2017, he was apprehended for the supply of cocaine and heroin and served an 18-month term, after which the Home Office decided to deport him. However, he filed a human rights claim, saying he was gay and would be persecuted in Uganda.

While the appeals and the judicial process continued, he was convicted again and was awaiting sentence for another burglary. The first-tier tribunal heard the case on November 28, 2024 and issued its decision on January 8 2025.

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Previous instances

This is not the first instance when convicted foreign criminals in the UK have managed to receive a favourable judgment. In February, a drug dealer named Shawn Rickford McLeod managed to avoid deportation after promising that he would "only smoke" cannabis and not sell it.

Similarly, a Pakistani sex offender convicted of sexually assaulting a woman has been allowed to stay in Britain after claiming to be gay. The 53-year-old man, only known as MR, had been living illegally in the UK for 11 years and was arrested by the police in 2017 and convicted in the same year.

Despite pleading guilty to the sexual assault, he claimed in his asylum application that he was innocent and that he was gay -- involved in a relationship with a Mr K since 2019.