Deported to Jamaica: 'I was panicking, crying' – BBC Newsnight

Newsnight has spoken to two of the 17 convicted offenders deported to Jamaica on 10 February. Between them they leave behind five young children in the UK. Subscribe to our channel here: https://goo.gl/31Q53F

The British government deported 17 convicted offenders to Jamaica on Monday. Newsnight has spoken to two of them.

Rayan Crawford arrived in the UK aged 12. He was convicted for Burglary in 2017 and served 12 months of a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months.

On 27 January, 10 officials detained him at his house.

A leaked report into the scandal, revealed by Newsnight last week, recommended that the UK stop deporting people who had arrived in the UK as children or reserve deportation for the most serious cases.

Under both of these tests it would be unlikely that Rayan Crawford would be eligible for deportation.

Rupert Smith came to the UK aged 13. He was convicted in 2016 after pleading guilty to attacking a man with a wrench and received a 15-month sentence.

He says he has “had his life taken away”.

A Home Office spokesman said, “we make no apology whatsoever for seeking to remove dangerous foreign criminals.”

James Clayton reports.

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