An Iranian sex offender has avoided deportation from the UK by claiming asylum as a Christian convert facing persecution in his home country, in accordance with reports, which say the person has repeatedly used the asylum system over the past 20 years to stay in Britain.
The 31-year-old, whose identity has been concealed by immigration judges, fled Iran in 2004, claiming he had been accused of adultery and tortured by authorities, in accordance with The Telegraph. After travelling through Europe, he arrived within the UK, asserting that returning to Iran would place him susceptible to persecution each for his alleged adultery and his newfound Christian faith.
However, his initial asylum claim in 2005 was rejected, with a judge ruling that his claims of adultery were “implausible” and criticizing him for not immediately searching for asylum in other countries he had passed through.
The man continued to appeal his case while committing a series of crimes within the UK.
In 2010, he was convicted of sexual assault and served nine months in prison. Five years later, he was jailed again for stalking, in accordance with the newspaper.
Nevertheless, the person repeatedly insisted that deportation would endanger him because of his Christian faith, although immigration officials argued that his conversion was not real and was simply a ploy to strengthen his asylum claims.
In his asylum appeals, the person described worshipping at home as a substitute of attending church, claiming that he had never found a church he was “comfortable with.” He also claimed to have built a “house church” in his garden to practise his faith privately.
Officials labelled him “manipulative,” alleging that his conversion was fabricated to take advantage of the system. Previous immigration adjudicators had also found him to be an individual prone to “say anything” to reinforce his claim.
However, immigration judges ultimately ruled in his favour, stating that his history of sexual offences didn’t invalidate his claim to Christian conversion. They noted that practising Christianity doesn’t require attendance at a proper church, citing examples of informal worship practices.
The tribunal concluded that returning the person to Iran would expose him to persecution, either for his actual or perceived religious beliefs.
The case has drawn attention to the challenges facing the UK’s immigration and asylum system, which has seen a steep rise in backlogged cases.
Nearly 42,000 asylum cases are stuck within the appeals system, representing a fivefold increase over the past two years, The Times of London noted.
The backlog has been worsened by repeat appeals and legal errors requiring cases to be reheard, allowing individuals just like the Iranian sex offender to stay within the country for prolonged periods. At least 74,969 cases are pending within the immigration and asylum appeal courts, the bulk involving failed asylum seekers contesting their rejected claims, in accordance with the UK Times.
