Rapist who dumped victim on rubbish tip escapes deportation after judge says he 'has right to stay and marry in UK'  

A judge decided rapist Alphonse Semo could marry in the UK instead of being deported

A convicted rapist facing deportation has won a High Court battle to be allowed to stay in Britain so he can get married.

Alphonse Semo, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, threw his victim on a rubbish tip when he 'had finished with her'.

But last night he won the right to remain in the UK for his wedding, just hours before he was due to board a plane back to Africa.

A judge said it was difficult to have any sympathy for Semo, who was jailed for eight years, but he must be allowed to stay.

Mr Justice Collins said the Home Office had at first agreed to let the 53-year-old, from Deptford, south east London, get married to his long-term partner, a German national.

Then the wedding was effectively cancelled by a subsequent decision 'by the same Home Office - no doubt by a different department', he said.

The judge added that he was 'very reluctant' to intervene but said the Home Office could not be allowed to play 'hot and cold'.

The judge said: 'With considerable reluctance, I have to say he must be allowed to marry.

'That means there will be a prohibition against removing him.'

The judge said the Home Secretary would have to reconsider later, after the marriage, whether to make a fresh attempt to deport Semo.

That would engage issues of EU law as his bride-to-be, Bunsana Kalonji, is a refugee from the Congo who became a German national. The pair have a long-established relationship.

Once married, the pair are expected to claim that Semo is legally entitled to remain in the UK as the spouse of an European Economic Area national entitled to free movement within EU member states, including the UK.

Semo was sentenced to eight years' jail in December 2002 for raping and assaulting a 38-year-old woman in Rushey Green, Catford, south east London.

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I think this case is disgusting and makes a mockery of our immigration system. We allow criminals to remain here....Would any other country allow this except pushover P.C Britain?

Also i think that 8 years for Rape is also a joke!

SHOULD THIS MAN BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY?

well, I think that if they think he might be killed or something in the Congo, they can keep him here

HOWEVER

I think he should be spending 80 years in jail, not 8, rape is a vile crime, 8 years for it is insulting.

I dont really see what this has to do with Political Correctness though?

Only 8 years for Rape?

Huh.

He served his punishment for his crime.

This is from the daily mail so we are obviously getting a bias slant and not the full facts or story.

So you think that British people should pay Taxes to keep a roof over this mans head and give him meals daily for 80 years?? Send him back!!  why on gods earth would you want him here?...

good points, im puzzeled how anyone can get just 8 years for rape though?

I would imagine they havent deported him because he may be killed in his home country.

while I think rape should carry a long sentence, I dont agree with giving someone the death penalty, either by killing them here or sending them overseas to certain death.