Mum could be deported after partner killed her son aged 5
Murder means Ukrainian no longer has a British dependant
‘Who will tend his grave?’
The mother of a five-year- old boy beaten to death by her boyfriend now faces deportation because she no longer has a UK dependant.
Ukrainian Liliya Breha was never warned by probation officials that Marvyn Iheanacho had a sickening history of domestic violence and had once tried to strangle a child.
Now, after 12 years in the UK, she faces being kicked out as her permission to remain here ended with the death of her British-born son Alex.
Miss Breha, 30, is also suing the Ministry of Justice for a catalogue of ‘unacceptable failures’ to protect her and her son from Iheanacho.
When Iheanacho, 39, was released from an earlier prison sentence for beating an ex-girlfriend, he was banned from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 and ordered to inform the probation service of any new relationships.
Yet within weeks he had breached the terms of his licence, ignoring appointments with probation officers and refusing to provide them with his new address. he was also regularly looking after Alex after embarking on a relationship with Miss Breha. But on a trip to the park in November 2016, the father of three lost his temper when the boy could not find his trainer.
he battered Alex with such ferocity that witnesses who overheard ‘booming’ blows thought two men were fighting – before they heard the boy begging for mercy.
Instead of taking Alex to hospital, Iheanacho took him home where he throttled Miss Breha as she tried to call 999. When she managed to raise the alarm, doctors were unable to save the youngster, who died from a bleed to the brain.
Miss Breha only learnt of Iheanacho’s past at his murder trial in July at Woolwich Crown Court. he was jailed for 18 years.
Miss Breha, who came to Britain in 2006, has lived in London for 12 years, and Alex – whose father is British – was born here. But her leave to remain is due to be revoked in June when it is up for renewal.
She said: ‘Immigration lawyers say it would be impossible to stay here now I have no British child.
‘Alex is buried here. I can’t leave my son on his own. Who will tend his grave and watch over him? It’s unthinkable. I have nothing and no home to go back to in Ukraine.
‘I’ve been through hell and now I have this bombshell. I’ve been so let down by the authorities my blood is boiling.
‘ Marvyn should have been recalled to prison. he had breached his licence. I blame myself that I was stupid enough to trust this man around my son, but if they had done their duty properly Alex would still be alive.’
A serious case review into the scandal identified serious ‘deficiencies’ by probation staff.
Miss Breha also wants a domestic violence register that forces police to warn women if they start a relationship with offenders.
Victims’ campaigner harry Fletcher said: ‘The circumstances of this are appalling. The mother was unaware the killer had previous convictions for violence against different women. Now the threat of deportation because she is no longer responsible for a British-born child as he has been killed is beyond belief. The home Office needs to exercise discretion.’
It is understood that the home Office will consider Miss Breha’s ‘exceptional circumstances’ when deciding whether or not to grant her leave to remain.