Convicted Zimbabwean paedophile allowed to STAY in Britain over ‘hostility’ he would face if deported​

The
ruling
blocks
a
Home
Office
deportation
order,
with
the
judge
accepting
lawyers’
claims
that
as
an
openly
gay
man
jailed
for
child
sex
offences,
he
would
likely
face
“substantial
hostility”
from
Zimbabwean
authorities.

RC
came
to
Britain
in
October
2007
at
age
16
with
his
mother,
a
British
citizen,
and
was
granted
indefinite
leave
to
remain
in
the
UK.
In
2018,
he
was
convicted
and
jailed
for
five
years
and
three
months
for
sexual
offences
against
children
and
distributing
and
possessing
indecent
images
of
children.

The
Royal
Courts
of
Justice
(file
pic)

GETTY

The
Home
Office
ordered
his
deportation
in
June
2021,
but
he
fought
this
under
Article
3
of
the
ECHR,
arguing
he
would
face
inhumane
treatment
in
Zimbabwe
as
“a
gay
white
man”
who
would
live
openly,
and
as
a
convicted
sex
offender.

RC’s
lawyers
argued
his
risk
of
persecution
would
be
increased
due
to
his
reduced
social
skills
from
multiple
health
conditions,
including
autism,
ADHD,
PTSD,
depression
and
deafness.

Judge
Pinder
found
his
“disability,
being
(perceived)
gay,
white
and
with
a
criminal
record
for
child
sex
offences”
would
create
substantial
hostility
from
authorities.
She
ruled
his
disabilities
would
limit
his
capacity
to
“diffuse
rather
than
exacerbate
the
hostility”
he
would
face.

The
judge
also
determined
Zimbabwean
authorities
would
likely
discover
his
criminal
convictions,
noting
RC
“would
likely
disclose
his
convictions”
due
to
not
understanding
their
gravity.

The
Home
Office

PA