Sunday People

The serial rapist who attacked me should never have been in this country

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Convicted criminals need to be held as soon as they get here

most wanted suspects. He also managed to get a passport under a false name.

Earlier this s week Home Secretary Priti Patel pledged to kick Algerian n crook Rachid Nouzali out of the country after it was reported eported he was living here. He has 28 conviction­s.

In January documents emerged that police were unable to locate and deport 958 foreign criminals who were suspected to be in the UK in 2017.

Scotland Yard’s elite exxtraditi­on unit, which has national responsibi­lities for booting out wrongdoers, has been reduced from a 106-strong force to 67 officers.

At the time of Alice’s murder in 2014, the effectiven­ess of the system for checking conviction­s of foreign nationals was, according to the presiding coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, “limited”. She offered a number of recommenda­tions in a letter to the Home Office in 2016.

They included “that persons with serious conviction­s are detained at UK borders and their potential criminal propensity thus appropriat­ely managed”.

Amber Rudd, then Home Secretary, replied in a five-page document and said: “Border Patrol has arrangemen­ts in place to identify criminal security and immigratio­n concerns.

“All passengers arriving at borders have their identity checked against watch lists and if they pose a risk Border Control do and can refuse entry.”

Although levels of Eu-wide U-wide and data-sharing have improved, Sharon’s case shows how there are still problems with allowing dangerous free foreign to settle offenders here. to be

Sharon says: “These people need to be vetted as soon as they enter the country and detained.”

Speaking for the first time, Alice’s sister Nina said last ast month: “I don’t want another coroner to have to rule in the way a coroner did following Alice’s death.”

The Home Office told the Sunday People they do not comment on individual cases but confirmed they do check people entering the country against watch lists,

A spokesman said: “We have removed nearly 50,000 foreign national natio offenders since 2010.” 201 Referring to

Sharon’s case, Greater Manchester Police said: “We have been in touch with w t he victim throughout the investigat­ion and we will be

contacting c her again to discuss di points she has raised. rais Alongside securing a successful success prosecutio­n, our most important considerat­ion has been to support her and that remains central in our considerat­ions.’’

 ??  ?? VICTIM: Alice and her killer Zalkalns, from Latvia, where he had killed before
VICTIM: Alice and her killer Zalkalns, from Latvia, where he had killed before

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