Reform UK and Conservative politicians have intensified calls to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) following a ruling that allowed a foreign national convicted of rape to remain in the United Kingdom.
The case involves Hendrix Ekwen, 34, an Italian national who was convicted in 2020 for a rape that occurred in 2017. An immigration tribunal ruled that Ekwen could stay in the UK after he lodged a human rights claim, asserting he had "learned his lesson."
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp stated that it is "utterly repulsive" for the rapist to remain in the UK and that foreign criminals should be deported. He proposed leaving the ECHR and any other obligations that impede deportation, adding that the Conservative Party plans to abolish immigration tribunals, giving the government sole authority over residency decisions.
Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, declared that a Reform government would deport Ekwen and leave the ECHR and other foreign treaties that enable individuals to remain in Britain, thereby "endangering British women and girls."
According to tribunal findings, Ekwen took nine years to admit his culpability for the attack, during which the victim was drunk, unconscious, and vulnerable. The tribunal heard that Ekwen initially did not accept guilt, attempting to shift responsibility to the victim. Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Rebecca Pickering described the attack as "appalling" and "deeply troubling" that Ekwen maintained his innocence even after his conviction. However, the judge noted that Ekwen had, over time, accepted responsibility.
Ekwen, who arrived in the UK in 2009, had a history of domestic abuse incidents between 2012 and 2014, and a conditional discharge for cannabis possession in 2015. He applied for the EU Settlement Scheme in 2020, but later that year was found guilty of rape.
During his appeal against deportation, Ekwen claimed his involvement was "inadvertent" and that he had "misinterpreted signals from the victim." At the Upper Tribunal, he explained that he now understood his actions constituted rape. Judge Pickering acknowledged the "substantial period" for reflection and personal development since 2017 and allowed his appeal based on human rights grounds. She concluded that Ekwen did not pose a sufficiently serious threat to the public to warrant deportation, citing his expression of "genuine shame" and his desire not to be known as "that kind of person."