Foreign thug dodges deportation because of soft EU laws and Brexit change coming too late
A FOREIGN gun thug has dodged being deported because of soft EU laws — and a Brexit change coming too late.
Gerson dos Santos was locked up for nine years after being caught with a semi-automatic Uzi gun.
But the Portuguese crook, 33, cannot be turfed out of Britain.
While foreign offenders who serve prison terms of more than a year can face automatic deportation, EU rules mean the Government can only kick out European criminals if they are a national security threat.
And tougher new post-Brexit laws unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel last year only apply to EU crooks who committed crimes after January 2021 — meaning he misses it as he was convicted in 2017.
Dos Santos, who also has robbery, burglary and drugs convictions, won his latest hearing at an appeals tribunal in London.
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Government lawyers had argued the father of one, who had already survived two Home Office deportation bids, was a danger after being found with two guns and 24 rounds of ammunition.
But a judge ruled Dos Santos, who came to the UK aged three, can remain in the country.
Dismissing the appeal, Mrs Justice Hill said the “extremely high” threshold for deportation had not been met.