Hit-and-run drunk driver wins fight against deportation despite death crash
A HIT-AND-RUN drink-driver who caused the death of a pedestrian has won his fight against deportation to Lithuania.
Sergejus Aksiotovas, 54, pictured above, came to Britain in 2013 and lived in Wolverhampton before being jailed for five years in 2021 after knocking down a 63-year-old man.
Advertisement
The Home Office sought to deport him but immigration judges have blocked his removal despite hearing his offending had escalated.
Aksiotovas, a dad released from prison on licence in November 2023, had a previous conviction for being in charge of a vehicle with excess alcohol.
The Home Office argued an immigration judge did not adequately take into account the risks he posed.
But legal documents stated: 'The judge accepted he is genuinely remorseful, that he completed an alcohol awareness programme in prison and that he has abstained from alcohol for the last four years.
Advertisement
"The judge also accepted that he is a man who is willing to learn from his mistakes and rehabilitate."
It comes after Home Office ministers were slammed for being unable to say how many foreign criminal deportations are being blocked by European human rights laws.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has vowed to tighten the laws following a massive backlash against foreign offenders dodging deportations on spurious ECHR grounds.
Last month a man was seen fleeing across Heathrow Airport tarmac after fleeing security guards ahead of a deportation flight.
Advertisement
1
Convicted drink-driver Sergejus Aksiutovas has had his deportation blocked by immigration judges
Credit: West Midlands Police
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Labour ‘must stop 8 in 10 migrant crossings' to break smuggling model
Britain and France will have to stop eight in ten attempted migrant crossings in order to destroy the business model of people smugglers, senior officials believe. The first migrants due for deportation to France as part of Britain's new returns deal will be detained by the end of this week, the Home Office said. The one in, one out migrant returns deal with France has been approved by the European Commission and will come into force on Tuesday. Dozens of beds have been freed up in immigration removal centres ready for any small boat migrant arrivals this week and Border Force officers have been prepared to start selecting those to be removed. Any adult migrant who arrives on small boats will face being sent back as part of an arrangement that will see an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers in France moving the other way — those with a family connection to the UK or from a country with a high rate of asylum claims granted, such as Afghanistan, Iran or Eritrea.
North Wales Live
8 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Police launch investigation after Colwyn Bay man dies from head injury
Police are investigating after a Colwyn Bay man died from a head injury. An inquest was opened today [Monday] into the death of 46-year-old David William Hardman who died in Glan Clwyd Hospital, Bodelwyddan, on July 26. John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, said he had been told by North Wales Police that a disturbance had occurred at Mr Hardman's home in Coed y Glyn, Colwyn Bay. On July 22 Mr Hardman, a telephone engineer, was taken to hospital but later discharged. He then complained of feeling unwell and returned to hospital, but died in the early hours of the following day. Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers gave the provisional cause of death as a massive subdural hematoma due to a severe blunt force injury. Adjourning the inquest to a date to be fixed, the coroner said that investigations were continuing. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Why journalists cover inquests and why it's crucial that we do Reporting on an inquest can be one of the hardest types of stories a journalist can write. More often than not, they are emotionally charged proceedings attended by grief-stricken people who are desperate for answers. Sometimes, inquests can seem quite clinical due to a coroner's need to remain impartial and level-headed so that they can draw a conclusion from desperately sad events. As painful as these proceedings are for those who have lost a loved one, the lessons that can be learned from inquests can go a long way to saving others' lives. Families are often surprised - and sometimes angry - when they see a reporter in attendance. Understandably they worry the nature of their loved one's death will be sensationalised and that a news story will forever tarnish their memory. Responsible and ethically minded journalists will do what they can to report inquests sensitively, while not shying away from the often upsetting facts. It is vital that the public don't forget that inquests are a type of judicial inquiry; they are after all held in a coroner's court. The press has a legal right to attend inquests and has a responsibility to report on them as part of their duty to uphold the principle of 'open justice'. But in doing so journalists must follow the guidance provided by the Independent Press Standards Organisation and set out in Editors' Code of Conduct. It's a journalist's duty to make sure the public understands the reasons why someone has died and to make sure their deaths are not kept secret. An inquest report can also clear up any rumours or suspicion surrounding a person's death. But most importantly of all, an inquest report can draw attention to circumstances which may stop further deaths from happening. Inquests are not criminal courts - there is no prosecution or defence - they are fact-finding tribunals which seek to answer four key questions: Who is the person who died? Where did they die? When did they die? How did they die? They do not apportion blame. Once these questions are answered a coroner will be able to record a conclusion. The wider lessons that can be learned from an inquest can have far-reaching consequences - but if journalists do not attend them how can the public be made aware? The harsh reality is they can't. Coroners often do not publish the results of an inquest. Should journalists shy away from attending inquests then an entire arm of the judicial system - and numerous others who need to answer vital questions - is not held to account. Inquests can often prompt a wider discussion on serious issues, the most recent of these being mental health and suicide. Editors actively ask and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of a person who is the subject of an inquest. Their contributions help us create a clearer picture of the person who died and also provides the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one. Often families do not wish to speak to the press and of course that decision has to be respected. However, as has been seen by many brilliant campaigns run by newspapers and websites up and down the country, the input of a person's family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others. Without the attendance of the press at inquests questions will remain unanswered, debates unargued and lives lost.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Two attempted murder arrests after Cradley Heath disorder
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after disorder in the West Midlands. Police were called to High Street, Cradley Heath, at about 20:20 BST on Sunday, where a 42 year-old man was found with a stab wound."We then received a second call that a 22-year-old man had been found with stab injuries nearby," said West Midlands men were taken to hospital and their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. They have since been arrested and will be questioned by police. Anyone with information was asked to contact police on 101. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
