Albanian gangster claimed deportation would ruin sons' football prospects

Telegraph

2 days ago

An Albanian criminal wanted in Italy for drug trafficking claimed he should not be deported because it would jeopardise his sons' chances of becoming professional footballers.
Elis Lila, who entered the UK illegally in 2016, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in a drug-smuggling gang in Italy after he had fled the country to Albania and then to Britain with his wife and family.
The 40-year-old fought an extradition request by Italy on the basis that it would be a breach of his right to a family life under article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
In his appeal against his removal, he revealed that his two sons were on the books of a football club, with both having 'good prospects' of becoming professional footballers. His eldest was said to be 'on the cusp' of receiving a scholarship from a Premier League club.
Lila's lawyers argued that, without their father's day-to-day support, they would not be likely to fulfil their potential as professional footballers.
However, despite appealing to the High Court, his arguments were rejected on the basis that he knew he was wanted for drug-smuggling when he left Italy and was aware of the risks that he could be extradited. He now faces being removed and taken back to Italy to serve his outstanding prison sentence.
Blocking deportations
The case, disclosed in court papers, is the latest example uncovered by The Telegraph in which illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have used human rights laws to try to halt their deportations.
Ministers are proposing to raise the threshold to make it harder for judges to grant the right to remain based on article eight of the ECHR, which protects the right to a family life, and article three, which protects against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Lila arrived in the UK on the back of a lorry, having spent six years in Italy in a drug-smuggling gang. After returning to Albania, he followed his wife to Britain, where he was given leave to remain for two and half years. A father of three, he works as a self-employed tiler.
In 2021 a district judge at Westminster magistrates' court ordered that Lila should be extradited to Italy under five European arrest warrants. Lila challenged the ruling, but a second judge rejected his appeal.
He was granted the right to appeal against the decision in the High Court in March, which was heard by Mr Justice Mould, who noted that he had been living a 'stable life' with his family and built a business to support them.
'He and his wife organise their lives so as to provide the practical day-to-day support needed to enable his eldest children to build on their footballing skills and develop their potential as future professional football players,' he said.
'There is a very real risk that, if extradited to Italy, after serving his remaining sentence the appellant will not be permitted to return to live in the UK.
'The eldest sons' prospects as potential professional footballers and the practical problems that would result from the appellant's absence was in evidence before the district judges and formed part of the overall evaluation of proportionality.
'But in dismissing his appeal and upholding the extradition orders, Mr Justice Mould pointed out that Lila was fully aware of the extradition proceedings against him before he started a family life and moved to the UK.
He states: 'I am satisfied that the appellant was under no illusion when he came to the UK in 2016 that he faced the real risk of proceedings seeking his return to Italy to serve his outstanding prison sentences. He has built his life in the UK since then in that knowledge.'
Mr Justice Mould also found that Mrs Lila would be able to cope in getting her children to football training while her husband was in prison in Italy. He states: 'There is likely to be real hardship and the impact on family life will be considerable.
'Nevertheless, I am satisfied that the district judges were correct to give weight to the proven resilience and resourcefulness of Mrs Lila, and the likelihood that she would be able to cope with the loss of the appellant. That was a factor which lessened the severity of the impact of extradition in this case.'