Migrant Who Tortured Woman with Boiling Water, Then Escaped Deportation, Faces Removal from UK

Rupinderjit Singh, an Indian migrant who had been deported after serving a 12-year sentence for brutally torturing a woman with boiling water, has had his bid to remain in the UK overturned and will now face deportation.

Singh was jailed in 2004 for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent. During the assault, he poured boiling water over a 30-year-old woman, set her on fire, and beat her with his belt. The victim suffered severe pain, spent weeks in hospital, and was left with permanent scarring.

A deportation order was issued against Singh in 2009, but it took seven years to enact, and he was sent back to India. However, in 2020, he illegally re-entered the United Kingdom.

Singh subsequently made a claim to remain in the UK, citing Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which pertains to the right to respect for private and family life. A First-Tier Tribunal granted his claim, allowing him to reside in Britain.

The Home Office appealed this decision, arguing it contradicted the public interest. Although the Home Office initially lost its appeal, it gained permission to appeal from the Court of Appeal, leading the case to the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

At the Upper Tribunal, Singh argued he needed to stay to support his autistic daughter, claiming she had serious behavioral problems and he played a vital role in her care. His wife supported this, stating the daughter had violent outbursts requiring two adults.

However, Upper Tribunal Judge Hugo Norton-Taylor found that Singh and his wife had exaggerated the daughter's behavioral issues. The judge also dismissed Singh's claims of mental health difficulties as a "complete fabrication."

Judge Norton-Taylor ruled that Singh is "obviously a foreign criminal" and that there is a "particularly strong" public interest in his deportation. The judge noted Singh's re-entry into the UK in 2020 in breach of the deportation order as evidence of his "blatant disregard" for immigration controls. The judge also stated that Singh had shown "no real appreciation or remorse" for his crime and had used various aliases to evade compliance with the law.

Concluding that Singh failed to demonstrate "very compelling circumstances" that would outweigh the public interest, Judge Norton-Taylor ordered his deportation, deeming it entirely proportionate. The judge assessed Singh as representing a medium risk of harm to others.