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A judge granted anonymity to a serial burglar fighting his fifth deportation by claiming he is in danger from an Albanian crime gang – only for the criminal to share a video of himself at court.
The man has been convicted of multiple crimes in the UK and repeatedly deported by the Home Office before sneaking back into the country.
asserted
man → see → country
He has now appealed against his latest deportation order and applied for asylum on the basis his life could be at risk if he returns to Albania.
uncertain
he → appeal → Albania
During a hearing last week at Taylor House Immigration Tribunal Centre in central London, the Albanian claimed he had been forced to flee to the UK because it was 'too easy' for his enemies to track him down elsewhere in Europe.
asserted
enemies → claim → Europe
The man, who is in his 30s and has a child in Britain with an estranged partner, also claimed his mental health had suffered as a result of previous media coverage of his case.
asserted
health → have → case
Yet on the day of the hearing, he posted a video on social media that appeared to show him sitting in a waiting area at the court, which he identified by name in the caption.
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he → post → caption
As well as revealing his location, the footage appears to violate a ban on photography and filming inside court buildings.
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footage → reveal → buildings
Anyone found to have broken the rules can be prosecuted for contempt of court and face a prison sentence of up to two years.
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Anyone → find → years
The man appeared for a hearing at Taylor House Immigration Tribunal Centre in central London
The man's representative, Eric Fripp, told the court he was entitled to anonymity because he was pursuing an asylum claim on protection grounds.
uncertain
he → appear → grounds
This request was granted by Judge Ravinder Bagral.
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request → grant → Bagral
The Press was not given an opportunity to challenge the anonymity order during the hearing, although the Daily Mail has since applied for it to be revoked.
asserted
it → give → hearing
A representative of the court confirmed after the September 15 hearing that the application had been received and was under consideration.
Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, criticised the decision to hide the man's identity from the public.
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Mendoza → confirm → public
'Open justice exists so the public can see how decisions are made in their name.
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decisions → exist → name
'Granting anonymity to a career criminal who films himself in court for social media while facing his fifth deportation, over a threat he never reported to police, makes a mockery of that principle.
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he → grant → principle
The public deserves better.''
Khdeeja Khan, representing the Home Office, said the man had committed a string of burglaries while living in the UK, including after each of the four times he had illegally re-entered the UK after being deported.
She asked him in court: 'Do you accept you have continuously committed serious crimes in the UK involving burglaries?
asserted
you → deserve → burglaries
Do you accept continually breaching UK border laws and breaching a deportation order four times?
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you → accept → order
The man accepted that his offences were 'very serious' but claimed he had been 'forced' to return to the UK illegally because of fears for his safety.
asserted
he → accept → safety
He told the court he had first arrived in the UK aged 13 before falling into the clutches of a powerful Albanian crime gang that forced him to carry out burglaries.
asserted
that → tell → burglaries
He claimed that when he later tried to leave the gang, both he and his family became targets.
asserted
he → claim → gang
Each time he was deported to Albania, he said he learned gang members were looking for him and left again within two to three weeks.
asserted
members → deport → weeks
He said he initially tried to settle elsewhere in Europe before they discovered his whereabouts there too.
asserted
they → say → whereabouts
He said the gang had initially tried to track him down in the UK, but that there had been no problems here for more than a year and he believed they had given up, making Britain the only place where he felt safe.
asserted
he → say → year
He told the court: 'The gang has been in contact in Albania.
asserted
gang → tell → Albania
They kidnapped me and once put a knife to my neck.
asserted
They → kidnap → neck
I was lucky to get away.
asserted
I → get → ?
I tried to stay in Europe, but in Europe it was too easy to find me there, so I had to come here.'
asserted
I → try → me
He also told the hearing it was too dangerous to return because his family had become embroiled in an Albanian blood feud, during which his uncle was shot two years ago, but 'corrupt local police' had 'closed the case'.
asserted
police → tell → case
Ms Khan suggested there was no evidence to support his claims that he was at risk in Albania and noted that he had not reported any threats to police in either Albania or the UK.
He replied: 'The reason I didn't report anything in Albania is because the police are corrupt and the gang is very powerful with the police around there.'
Ms Khan also noted the man's prolific social media use - including regular photos showing him in luxury cars and drinking in nightclubs - and questioned why he would continually draw attention to himself online if he was really in fear of a gang.
In response, he claimed he 'felt safe' in the UK, but acknowledged the posts could be viewed anywhere in the world.
The case was adjourned pending Judge Bagral's ruling.
uncertain
case → suggest → ruling
The Aporia
