Overview

• Upper Tribunal Judge Leonie Hirst concluded that although Zenel Beshi’s offences were serious and prolific, they did not reach the “very extreme” level of public revulsion required for expulsion.
• Beshi was jailed in Italy in 2017 for robbery, theft, false imprisonment and 44 counts of burglary and failed to disclose those convictions when applying for UK residency under EEA rules and the EU Settlement Scheme.
• A First-tier Tribunal previously accepted a court-appointed psychologist’s assessment that Beshi posed a low risk of reoffending and blocked the Home Office deportation order.
• The Home Office has said it disagrees with the Upper Tribunal ruling and is exploring an appeal to secure Beshi’s removal from the UK.
• Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is proposing legal reforms to lower the threshold for judges to deport foreign offenders on human rights grounds and prioritize public safety.