An immigration judge told a migrant he made an “honest mistake” by failing to disclose his conviction for sexually abusing a child to UK authorities. Edi Cardoso Ramos, 29, reportedly did not mention his criminal past while applying for leave to remain in the UK.
Ramos, originally from Portugal, has won the right to challenge his deportation. The man had received a three-year suspended sentence for a “serious sexual offence” against a five-year-old in his home nation in 2012, according to reports. The Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber heard Ramos was convicted in 2014 when he was 19-years-old.
The conviction only came to light when Ramos was caught in the UK with a prostitute, and police carried out a background check, the Daily Mail reports.
This prompted the Home Office to begin deportation proceedings, but Ramos has successfully appealed against his removal, with his case to be heard again.
The judge accepted that Ramos had misunderstood a form when applying for leave to remain in 2020.
He answered “no” when asked about previous convictions on the form and later claimed he believed the question referred only to offences committed in the UK.
Judge Paul Lodato said he found Ramos had made an “honest mistake” on the form and that his explanation was “credible”.
The Home Office argued against Ramos’ basis for his appeal, claiming he “posed a risk to women and girls in the United Kingdom”.
However, Judge Lodato ruled that the department had not shown he posed a current danger and allowed the appeal to proceed.
“Having considered this issue very carefully, I am not satisfied, based on the evidence before me, that the [Home Office] has established that the threat [Ramos] represents is a present threat,” the judge said.
Ramos was given a three-year custodial sentence, which was not activated after he met its conditions, according to the Mail.
He moved to the UK in 2018, one year after the sentence expired.
He reportedly received a police caution after being found with a prostitute in his car in 2024.