A HIV-positive Algerian refugee's recommendation for deportation following yet another prison sentence was ignored by the Home Office because the serial thief - released early by the Court of Appeal - has already dodged expulsion for fourteen years.
Amine Mouad, 36, was free to lead a team of thieves who snatched passengers' luggage at King's Cross and Euston Station's after an eleven month prison sentence was slashed to five months and the Crown Court Judge's recommendation to boot him out of the country was not carried out.
Political refugee Mouad, of Manor Road, Tottenham - who has seventeen previous offences on his record - was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to five thefts of rucksacks and laptops worth £4,600.
"You were with a team targeting passengers' bags, rucksacks, laptops and the like," Judge Stephen Robbins told Mouad, also imposing a four-year ASBO on the defendant banning him from entering all of London's mainline train stations.
"You were sentenced to imprisonment in September, 2008 when deportation to Algeria was recommended, but not implemented and the Court of Appeal in it's wisdom reduced the sentence to five months, leaving you free to commit these offences.," added the Judge.
Mouad's accomplice, 24 year-old Mohammed Aross, of Falkland Road, Hornsey pleaded guilty to the same five offences and was sentenced to six months imprisonment.
The pair admitted stealing laptop computers and bags at Euston Station on January 20 and 27 and February 8 and 14 and a rucksack and contents at King's Cross Station on February 10.
Algerian Aross - who has been in and out of immigration detention during his time in the UK - and is deemed a suicide risk with a psychiatric history claimed he needed to raise cash to feed his drug and gambling addiction.
Mouad claims he is a talented fashion designer forced to flee Algeria because of his political connections with an opposition group.
"I have not been asked to make any further recommendations for deportation in either case," concluded the Judge.
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