Albanian gangster is granted anonymity in the UK 'to protect him from rivals'

An Albanian gangster convicted of murder in his home country has been granted anonymity after claiming asylum in the UK – to protect him from reprisals. 

The criminal served a prison sentence for murder and other ‘very serious offences’ in his home country before arriving in Britain by boat. 

Following his arrest a judge ruled his identity should be hidden from the public ‘for the sake of security’ – after he claimed to have been threatened by gangland rivals. 

Tory MP David Morris told The Sun: ‘It’s an outrageous decision which shows contempt for British citizens.’

Meanwhile, Tory MP Philip Davies said revealing the middle-aged man’s identity and criminal history was ‘clearly in the public interest’. 

The criminal served a prison sentence for murder and other ‘very serious offences’ in his home country before arriving in Britain by boat. File photo 

Judge Nicholas Aldridge, 51, sitting at a Tribunal Hearing Centre, said nothing could be published that could ‘directly or indirectly’ identify the criminal, including his previous crimes. 

The Albanian’s bid for appeal has been rejected and he remains in custody at an immigration centre. A decision is pending over whether he can be deported.   

A spokesman for the Home Office said: ‘It’s another shocking example of why we must stop the boats.’

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It comes after new figures revealed just 215 of the 45,755 migrants who crossed the Channel by small boat last year have been reported. 

More than 25,000 of those were found to be refugees, despite Government claims the majority of those crossing by small boat are economic migrants. 

The figures, based off Home Office data, also show one in five channel migrants are children. 

A group of migrants being brought ashore at Dover in Kent. File photo 

Last year saw record numbers arrive into Dover – 1,104 boats with an average of 41 people each day.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed just 0.47 per cent of the total migrant arrivals have been deported, including seven who were found to be criminals.

And Conservative MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke said deportation rates are so low they are no longer a deterrent to those travelling to the UK by small boat.

She also urged Home Secretary Suella Braverman to ‘get a grip’ on processing migrant arrivals, by stopping boats leaving France so they can’t reach the UK.

Priti Patel, as home secretary in 2021, claimed that ‘70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants’.

But the Home Office has now admitted, via a Freedom of Information request, that it had no evidence to support this claim. The statement has not been corrected.

Of the 45,755 migrants who crossed the Channel by small boat last year, 215 have been deported