The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Convicted in Scotland, but we can’t deport thug due to Christian tattoos

- By Jake Ryan

A VIOLENT criminal has avoided deportatio­n to Iran by claiming he faces persecutio­n for having himself tattooed with Christian symbols.

The 43-year-old asylum seeker was jailed for 18 months for an assault in Glasgow in 2012 and ordered to leave Britain the following year.

But he fought his removal by claiming to have converted to Christiani­ty.

Even though a judge rejected the claim and said the former convict was not ‘a credible witness’, the Iranian was given leave to appeal in 2019. The Home Office rejected the appeal, but was unaware of tattoos all over both his arms.

Now immigratio­n tribunal judge Paul Doyle has ruled that, regardless of the man’s faith and whether he had himself tattooed ‘cynically’, the Christian imagery put him at risk of being detained on arrival in Iran, so he must remain in the UK.

Judge Doyle accepted the man would be able to associate with people in Iran without coming to harm and there was ‘not a real risk that he would come to the adverse attention of the Iranian authoritie­s’ after entering the country, but he would be at risk while passing through Tehran airport. The Home Office agreed on his return to Iran he would be asked by airport officials ‘to roll up his sleeves and bare his arms’, and the Christian tattoos made him likely to be detained for ‘further questionin­g’.

The asylum seeker, whose identity is protected by a court order, arrived in the UK in 2008. He was refused asylum, but continued to live in Britain.

In a ruling in March, Judge Doyle said: ‘The appellant’s tattoos are extensive. All of the surface of each arm is covered in ink. The tattoos extend across the backs of his hands and to his knuckles.

‘Perhaps the appellant cynically had Christian iconograph­y tattooed on his arms. The reason does not matter. It is the existence of the which raises a real risk of persecutio­n at the airport in Tehran.’

About 800,000 Christians live in Iran, where they risk detention and persecutio­n for their beliefs.

Tory MP Tim Loughton, who sits on the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said: ‘This is madness and makes a complete mockery of the legal system. Anybody can go to a tattoo parlour and pay to have a symbol which magically exempts them from deportatio­n.’

Alp Mehmet, chairman of the Migration Watch think-tank, said: ‘The judge is entitled to his opinion, but the public would be justified in feeling uneasy about what appears a perverse decision.’

There were 48,540 asylum applicatio­ns last year, with 28 per cent refused. The Home Office did not respond to a request for comment.

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