MW (Democratic Republic of Congo) v Secretary of State for The Home Department
| Jurisdiction | England & Wales |
| Judge | Lord Justice Rix,Lord Justice Sullivan |
| Judgment Date | 28 October 2011 |
| Neutral Citation | [2011] EWCA Civ 1240 |
| Court | Court of Appeal (Civil Division) |
| Date | 28 October 2011 |
| Docket Number | Case No: C5/2010/1827 |
[2011] EWCA Civ 1240
Lord Justice Rix
and
Lord Justice Sullivan
Lord Justice Lewison
Case No: C5/2010/1827
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)
ON APPEAL FROM THE UPPER TRIBUNAL
(IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM CHAMBER)
IA/12907/2008
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL
Mr Geoffrey Robertson QC and Mr S Chelvan (instructed by Messrs Sutovic & Hartigan) for the Appellant
Mr Jonathan Hall (instructed by Treasury Solicitors) for the Respondent
Hearing date: 5 th October 2011
Introduction
This is an appeal against the determination promulgated on 28 th April 2010 of Designated Immigration Judge Woodcraft in the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) dismissing the Appellant's appeal against a determination promulgated on 5 th March 2009 by Senior Immigration Judge Latter and Immigration Judge Pullig ("the Panel") in the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.
The Panel had dismissed the Appellant's appeal against the Respondent's decision made on 8 th July 2008 to make a deportation order against him on the ground that she deemed his deportation to be conducive to the public good. The Panel concluded that deportation was conducive to the public good and would not be a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Designated Immigration Judge Woodcraft concluded that there was no material error of law in the Panel's determination. In this appeal the focus is upon the Panel's determination: was there a material error of law in its approach to the Appellant's Article 8 Appeal?
Factual Background
The factual background is set out in some detail in the Panel's determination. The Appellant is a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was born on 27 th March 1984. He came to the United Kingdom with his mother in 1993 when he was 9 years old. His mother claimed asylum. She was granted indefinite leave to remain on 19 th October 1999, and the Appellant was granted indefinite leave to remain the following month, on 22 nd November 1999.
Between February 1999 and April 2008 the Appellant committed a number of criminal offences, the details of which are set out in paragraph 45 of the Panel's determination. On the 8 th July 2008 the Respondent decided to make a deportation order against the Appellant on the ground that his deportation was conducive to the public good.
The Respondent's decision letter explained the basis of her decision, as follows:
"The Secretary of State is entitled to reconsider the immigration status of any foreign national in the United Kingdom in the light of their character, conduct or associations. It is reasonable to expect any person admitted to the United Kingdom to abide by its laws.
Our records show that you have committed a series of offences during your residence in the United Kingdom. These offences relate primarily to driving offences for which you have now been disqualified from driving until 30 th September 2009. You have been arrested for assault and for possessing offensive weapons and were convicted for possessing an offensive weapon with intent. You have also been cautioned for theft.
As well as the offences you have been convicted of, you are one of a number of individuals who has been risk assessed by the Metropolitan Police and identified as a gang member. You are known to be a member of a gang who are involved in serious disorder and have access to and the use of firearms and drugs based around the Lewisham area. You were also the victim of a shooting but refused to assist the police with the investigation.
The Secretary of State takes a very serious view about such crimes and the potential threat you represent to the public. Your conduct to date does not reflect well on your character and has been considered when assessing the probability of you re-offending. In view of your conduct, the Secretary of State deems it to be conducive to the public good to make a deportation order against you. The Secretary of State has therefore decided to make an order by virtue of sections 3(5)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 (as amended by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999) requiring you to leave the United Kingdom and prohibiting you from re-entering while the order is in force."
The Appellant appealed against that decision. Prior to the hearing of the appeal before the Panel on 5 th February 2009, the Respondent sent a supplementary decision letter dated 12 th January 2009 to the Appellant's Solicitors. In that letter the Respondent referred to the significant harm caused by gang related crime in the London area, and said
"Operation Alliance is a joint Home Office/Metropolitan Police project targeting gangs in five South London boroughs, and has had a dedicated intelligence cell since November 2007, which provides detailed information regarding gang activity and those believed to be gang members. Based on evidence of links with gang criminality (namely firearms, other weapons, drugs, robbery and serious violence), MW has been assessed by police attached to Operation Alliance as "High Risk". There is consistent evidence and intelligence to satisfy police that your client is affiliated to the 'Ghetto Boys' and 'Anti Showermen' gangs. The 'Anti Showermen' gang is known for serious disorder including access to and use of firearms and drugs and is based around the Lewisham area.
Your client's conduct has led to repeated police interest from 1999 until 2008 and outlines a history of criminal activity. The respondent's material lists in details all recorded contact MW has had with the police between 1999 and 2008……
Having assessed the evidence available for these incidents and other incidents running up to and including March 2008, UKBA are of the view that on balance, there is a strong likelihood that your client has had direct involvement in incidents either as a main offender, or having incited or aggravated the situation in conjunction with other gang members.
We believe that he continues to be deeply and directly involved in gang activity, which is evidenced by the number of incidents in which he has been implicated; the gravity of some of the incidents; and the fact that he has been the target of a shooting incident in which the perpetrators of this offence are believed to be from members of a rival gang carrying out a "revenge" attack. These incidents indicate an entrenched involvement in behaviour and activity that is considered to be harmful to the community, and which the Secretary of State is entitled to take steps to address."
The Panel's Determination
When the Panel determined the appeal on 2 nd March 2009 the Appellant was nearly 25 years old. Apart from a visit to Kinshasa with his mother from April-June 2007 he had been living in the United Kingdom for some 16 years, during which time he had attended a school in Catford until he was 16 years old. The Panel found that the Appellant's parents and siblings were living in the UK and that he had "strong social, cultural and family ties with this country" (para. 53 determination).
In paragraph 44 the Panel said that the Respondent's case relied on the Appellant's criminal connections and the assessment by the police that the Appellant was a member of a gang involved in serious disorder with access to firearms and drugs in the Lewisham area. Apart from one conviction for possession of a knife which was attached to car keys, for which he was fined £100, all of the Appellant's convictions as an adult (as a juvenile he was given a police caution and received a youth reprimand for stealing a motor vehicle in 1999 and 2000) have been for driving whilst disqualified in 2004, 2005, again in 2005, and 2008. For the last of these offences committed on 2 nd April 2008 he received a sentence of sixteen weeks imprisonment (the reference in paragraph 45 of the Panel's determination to sixteen months is in error) suspended for two years. His only other custodial sentence was a sentence in February 2005 to 28 days in a Young Offender's Institution.
Mr. Hall, who appeared on behalf of the Respondent before the Panel, confirmed that the Respondent had not contended that the Appellant's criminal convictions alone justified his deportation. As noted in paragraph 44 of the determination, the Respondent had relied on a combination of the Appellant's criminal convictions and his gang membership. On a fair reading of the Panel's determination it is plain that the gravamen of the Respondent's case against the Appellant was that he was a gang member who was involved in the supply of drugs and the use of firearms.
Having set out in paragraph 46 of its determination the occasions on which the Appellant had come to the attention of the authorities, the Panel in paragraph 47 summarised Mr. Hall's submission:
"that the cumulative effect of this evidence is that it can be shown on the balance of probabilities that the appellant was involved in the supply of drugs and the use of a firearm."
The Panel's response to this submission was as follows:
"47…We accept that the police reports are an accurate record but we are not satisfied that there is any adequate evidential basis for a finding on a balance of probabilities that the appellant has been involved in the supply of drugs or in the use of firearms. However, we are satisfied that the evidence shows that the appellant has knowingly associated with gang members with criminal records. The appellant has failed to satisfy us that this association was innocent even though there is no adequate...
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