Age-row asylum seeker to stay in UK

IRAQI teenager Rabar Hamad, who faced deportation after being caught up in an age row, will stay in the UK.

The 17-year-old Kurdish asylum seeker and former pupil at Breeze Hill School, Oldham, was embroiled in an age dispute with Wigan Social Services in July last year after it claimed he was an adult.

His former teacher, Sally Hyman, said the age claim had now been withdrawn and Rabar, now living in Manchester, has been granted temporary leave to remain in the country.

A spokesman for Wigan council said the authority had not changed its view over Rabar’s age, but had complied with a court ruling and would consider him a child until there was a legal ruling otherwise.

Mrs Hyman said: “He is delighted with the news and will be applying for an extension which his solicitor believes will be granted. This could mean another three years in the country.

“It’s a successful outcome to the campaign but one that should never have happened. He lost his home, his education and was falsely imprisoned.

“Young people like him are still being put through unnecessary age assessments by social workers who often admit they don’t have enough training to carry them out, and that is frightening.”

Rabar arrived in Wigan in 2008 following the death of his parents from a bomb in Iraq. He was forced to leave his 10-year-old sister behind and spent a terrifying 10 days travelling to England in the wheel arch of a truck.

On arrival, Wigan social services placed him in an Oldham children’s home — the nearest available space — but later said they were withdrawing his funding because they believed him to be aged 20.

He was due to be deported in August last year and went into hiding but was detained by police and put back into the care of Wigan social services while awaiting his deportation appeal.

Mrs Hyman said Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams is backing his campaign and will be contacting the Wigan MP Lisa Eva Nandy.

Mrs Abrahams will also be attending a special event organised by the Young People Seeking Safety network to find out the plight of young asylum seekers in the UK tonight at the Methodist Central Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester at 7.30pm.

Oldham residents are invited to attend the meeting.