Hundreds of murderers, paedophiles and rapists from Eastern Europe have gained access into the UK despite having criminal records, according to shocking police figures. The data reveals that thousands of foreign nationals have been able to enter the country without their violent pasts being detected.
Checks conducted by the ACRO Criminal Records Office with officials in Romania have found more than 700 cases in the last three years where a suspect in the UK has a previous criminal record for murder, manslaughter, rape or a child sexual offence abroad. A sample based on five nationalities uncovered 524 cases where a suspect had a conviction abroad for murder or manslaughter, 441 cases of a person with an overseas rape conviction and 592 incidents of child sex offences.
Despite tougher post-Brexit rules that allow the Government to ban any overseas criminals jailed for more than a year, people only have to self-declare that they have not committed any serious crime to secure a visa to enter Britain.
A former senior Border Force and immigration officer told The Telegraph: “It is a weakness in the current system but it’s difficult because individual countries’ criminal records databases are not networked. Even if they were to be, it raises quite a big privacy issue.”
Usually, the foreign crooks’ violent histories are only exposed once they are arrested in the UK. One high-profile case concerned Lithuanian national Vitautas Jokubauskas, who murdered his partner Ramute Butkien before dismembering her torso and stuffing her inside a suitcase. Her remains were discovered after neighbours in Peterborough complained of an unpleasant smell coming from Jokubauskas’ room.
Jokubauskas told police he only strangled her ‘a little’ with her dressing gown cord to ‘scare her’ after accusing her of having an affair. At the end of his trial, it was revealed he’d been jailed in Lithuania in 1992 for a brawl in which he killed a man.
In another case, Raimondas Jakstas, 26, who had served five years for beating someone to death in his homeland, went berserk after his neighbour Steve Foster asked him to be quiet. Jakstas had been kicking plant pots around in the back yard of his Boston home at 10.30pm on March 13, 2015, when Mr Foster asked the thug not to wake his five-year-old son, Jamie.
But the enraged Lithuanian ‘threatened to come up and kill him and his dog’, before trying to kick in Mr Foster’s door. Armed with a large kitchen knife, he then tried to force his way into Mr Foster’s flat.
The Home Office spokesman said: “Those applying for a visa to come to the UK are required to declare any criminal convictions and are subject to checks against UK police databases, watchlists and immigration databases. They may be refused if they have a criminal conviction, a history of serious or persistent offending or have failed to declare convictions.
“Our police also carry out routine checks for overseas criminal convictions on foreign nationals who are arrested, and where serious convictions are found, individuals are referred to Immigration Enforcement for deportation consideration.”
Conclusion:
The data reveals a concerning trend of foreign nationals with criminal records entering the UK without their violent pasts being detected. The Government must take immediate action to strengthen the visa system and ensure that individuals with a history of serious offending are not allowed to enter the country.
FAQs:
Q: How many foreign nationals with criminal records have entered the UK?
A: According to the data, more than 700 cases have been found where a suspect in the UK has a previous criminal record for murder, manslaughter, rape or a child sexual offence abroad.
Q: What is the current process for checking foreign nationals’ criminal records?
A: Individuals applying for a visa to come to the UK are required to declare any criminal convictions and are subject to checks against UK police databases, watchlists and immigration databases.
Q: Why are foreign nationals with criminal records able to enter the UK without their violent pasts being detected?
A: The current system has weaknesses, including the fact that individual countries’ criminal records databases are not networked, making it difficult to detect criminal records from abroad.
Q: What action can be taken to strengthen the visa system and prevent foreign nationals with criminal records from entering the UK?
A: The Government must take immediate action to strengthen the visa system and ensure that individuals with a history of serious offending are not allowed to enter the country. This can be achieved by improving data sharing between countries and increasing checks on foreign nationals’ criminal records.
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