Home secretary urged to apologise for falsely claiming Jamaica deportees were all guilty of ‘very serious crimes’

‘They’re labelling us. When their only answer is to falsely claim that we are all murderers, rapists, traffickers, it says a lot about how the government operates,’ says father-of-three Owen Haisley

Owen Haisely, who has lived in the UK for 41 years and has three young British children, and was granted last-minute reprieve from deportation, said he felt ‘labelled’ by the Sajid Javid’s comments (Owen Haisley)

The home secretary is being urged to apologise for telling MPs deportees on a charter flight to Jamaica were all guilty of “very serious crimes” such as murder and rape after his department was forced to admit this was not the case.

MPs, campaigners and detainees themselves have united in condemnation of Sajid Javid after it emerged that among those flown to the island on Wednesday were people who had committed single drug or dangerous driving offences.

In a heated debate in parliament on Tuesday, Mr Javid claimed all deportees were all convicted of “very serious crimes ... like rape and murder, firearms offences and drug-trafficking”.

But the Home Office said on Wednesday that of the 29 people deported, just one had been found guilty of murder, while 14 had been convicted or drug offences and one was jailed for dangerous driving.

Detainees who narrowly avoided deportation said they felt they had been “labelled” for crimes they didn’t commit, while relatives of deportees expressed fear that people in Jamaica would give their loved-ones a hostile reception because they had all been dubbed as serious criminals.

Labour MP David Lammy called on the Mr Javid to apologise, accusing him of “deporting first and asking questions later“ without considering whether the public interest in the removals was greater than the harm caused to those deported and their families.

Vance Brown, the father of Chevon Brown, 23, who was placed on the flight after serving a seven-month sentence for a driving offence – the only crime he has been convicted of – said he felt “sick to his stomach” by the home secretary’s claims.

Chevon Brown has been deported to Jamaica after spending seven months in jail for a driving offence – the only crime he has been convicted of (Vance Brown)

The 48-year-old, who had to arrange for his son to be picked up by a friend in Jamaica, said: “[The government] has got no morals. It is so harsh. How can they said about so else’s child when it’s a lie?

“Chevon was caught in the bee’s mouth – the belly of the bee – only for a driving offence. So when Javid said it was murderers and rapists on the plane, that made me sick to my stomach. It’s deplorable.

“He misled the public. It’s very hard to digest that, coming from the home secretary.”

Mr Brown, who runs a barber shop in Oxford – a career his son had been hoping to pursue – said he had spoken to his son on the phone from Jamaica and that he was “terrified” about how he would be treated there due to the depiction of him and other deportees as “serious criminals”.

“People gravitate to what they hear from the home secretary here. They’re going to believe that,” he said. ”It creates a big risk to him. He doesn’t know what to do, who to go to. He’s saying, should I just give up on life? He was in tears.”

Twenty-nine Jamaican nationals were removed on Wednesday on the flight which was initially expected to hold 50 deportees. The Independent knows of at least eight people who were granted last-minute reprieve – but there are expected to be more.

One of them was Owen Haisely, who has lived in the UK for 41 years and has three young British children. The 45-year-old, who was convicted for a domestic abuse incident in 2015 for which he spent a year in jail, said he felt “hurt” by Mr Javid claims.

“They’re labelling us. When their only answer is to falsely claim that we are all murderers, rapists, traffickers, it says a lot about how the government operates,” said the Manchester resident.

“I know I did wrong with my domestic incident. But I’m not a repeat offender. I’ve gone to prison, done my sentence, done the rehabilitation. I’m not going to reoffend.”

The former DJ, who had been sharing a cell with Mr Brown in Harmondsworth detention centre when guards removed him on Wednesday, said of the 23-year-old: “[Chevon] should still be here. He was labelled a murderer, a rapist, a trafficker.

“And he only committed a driving offence. He wanted to set up his own business. He’s a positive guy, and he’s only 23. He’s the next generation. He deserves a second chance.”

All of those set to be removed on the flight had criminal convictions, but all have served their sentences in UK jails and campaigners argue that their removal – which for many means returning alone to a country they left as young children – constitutes a “brutal double punishment”.

Karen Doyle, of campaign group Movement for Justice, said Mr Javid’s remarks were “patently untrue” and “a clear attempt to obfuscate the realities of the people affected and dampen public sympathy and support”.

“At the point when Sajid Javid said in parliament that those to be deported were all serious criminals, stressing murder and rape, it was patently untrue. This kind of ‘dog-whistle’ racist propaganda against immigrants must stop,” she said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The crimes committed by the individuals include murder, rape and serious violence. The total combined sentence of their crimes is over 150 years’ imprisonment.

“The law requires that we seek to deport foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK. This ensures we keep the public safe.”