Brown accused of deportation 'sham'

The Tories denounced Gordon Brown's vow to deport foreign criminals as a 'sham'

Gordon Brown's promise to deport foreign criminals has been denounced by the Tories as a "sham" after it emerged that three foreign murderers were freed from life sentences within a single year without being sent back to their home countries.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw revealed in response to a parliamentary question that only one of the three men - all discharged in 2007 from mandatory life sentences, which can only be imposed for murder - was even required to live in a probation hostel after release.

Mr Brown told Labour's annual conference in 2007 that any immigrants caught selling drugs or using guns would be thrown out of the UK, and in this year's Building Britain's Future plan he promised "automatic deportation" for any foreign nationals sentenced to a year or more in jail.

But Tories said that the Justice Secretary's statement made a mockery of the pledge.

In a written reply to a question from shadow justice secretary Dominic Grieve, Mr Straw said: "Of the three prisoners discharged from a mandatory life sentence, one was an Irish national, one an Indian national and one a Pakistani national.

"None of the offenders was subject to deportation or, therefore, taken into UK Border Agency custody. One of the three was released into approved premises; the other two were released into alternative accommodation, which had been risk-assessed by the probation service."

Mr Grieve said: "Gordon Brown's pledge to deport foreign criminals has been exposed as a sham. The public will be shocked to learn that foreign murderers are being released here, rather than deported. This Government is failing to discharge its first duty, which is to protect the public.

"These revelations raise serious questions for Jack Straw and (Home Secretary) Alan Johnson.

"Why were they released and not deported? Why was only one of the three released into secure premises? Have any now re-offended since their release in 2007?

"And, since these figures relate to 2007, how many more foreign nationals convicted of homicide or serious violent offences are walking our streets?"