Ann, 14, can move to Scotland after U-turn
BY PETER DAVIDSON A BLACK Watch soldier is to be reunited with his daughter after winning a battle with the Home Office.
Lance Corporal Denis Omondi, a British citizen who is originally from Kenya, was desperate to bring 14-year-old Ann from the African country to live with him and his wife Shelagh in the Highlands.
But the Home Office refused to issue a UK visa for the child, who is in a boarding school in Kenya.
However, authorities performed a U-turn and said the visa application now meets immigration rules, meaning Ann can come to live in Scotland.
Denis’s local MP, Drew Hendry, led the campaign alongside the Record to reunite the family, including raising the issue with the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary.
Denis, who is based at Fort George, near Inverness, and his wife are looking forward to welcoming Ann to Scotland as soon as possible.
Hendry said: “I am absolutely delighted for Denis, Shelagh and Ann.
“The past months have been incredibly difficult for them and at least now they can look forward to the future and finally be together as a family.
“I want to thank everyone who has supported them, including the thousands of people who signed the petition calling on the Home Secretary to right this wrong.
“This is the right result but it has been a hard slog with the Home Office.
“The fact that this family, like many others, were put through this traumatic experience shows just how damaging the UK Government’s approach to immigration is to our communities.” TEEN actress Nico Parker brought along some A-list support to the world premiere of Disney’s Dumbo in Hollywood – her actress mum Thandie Newton.