Leeds family wins injunction in bid to halt deportation
- Published
Damion Thompson, known as Trimpy, is being held at a detention centre near Heathrow
A Jamaican man who has been fighting deportation for a decade has been granted a last-minute reprieve.
Damion Thompson was due to be deported on Wednesday, 10 years after a jail sentence for drugs offences triggered his automatic removal from the UK.
However, his family in Leeds, where he has lived for 20 years, say they have secured a seven-day injunction.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We make no apology for seeking to remove dangerous foreign criminals."
His family described the injunction as "great news" but said they "don't want to get too hopeful".
Mr Thompson, also known as Trimpy, was jailed in 2011 and served 14 months in custody before being released in 2012.
At the time of his conviction he had been in the UK on a spousal visa and was in the process of applying for indefinite leave to remain.
However, under the UK Borders Act 2007, external, anyone who is not a British citizen and receives a jail sentence for at least 12 months will be automatically deported.
His wife, Linda Rose, said the deportation order had been "hanging over the family" despite several attempts to overturn it, while their daughter, Rebecca Rose, said the past 10 years had been "hugely stressful".
The family said that since his release Mr Thompson had not reoffended.
A petition opposing the order has received more than 43,000 signatures.
Rebecca Rose said the injunction will give them an extra week to convince a judge to allow Mr Thompson to stay in the UK.
Speaking after it was granted she said: "We're definitely hopeful he can stay but we don't want to get too hopeful."
The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases but that deportation matters can take a long time if challenges were submitted.
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