UK: Avoided deportation by simply promising to “smoke cannabis”

A Jamaican-born drug dealer has successfully avoided deportation from the UK after assuring authorities that he will refrain from selling drugs and will only consume cannabis.

Shawn Rickford McLeod, who was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for supplying Class A drugs, was initially issued a deportation order. However, he appealed the decision, arguing that his removal would violate his right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as he has a wife and three children in the UK.

During his appeal, McLeod openly admitted to his intention to continue using cannabis regardless of the court’s ruling. His stance was shared with prison and probation officers, as well as Judge David Chaim Brannan. Ultimately, the judge ruled in his favor, stating that deportation would be “unduly harsh” on his family and that McLeod was determined to avoid reoffending—apart from cannabis use—in order to care for his children.

Despite having spent a significant portion of his time in prison away from his children, aged one, four, and seven, McLeod was granted permission to remain in the UK.

Political Response
The decision has sparked criticism, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp calling it “mind-boggling” and arguing that foreign criminals should not be allowed to stay in the country.

“These foreign criminals should all be deported. Weak immigration judges continue to stretch the interpretation of ECHR laws to absurd levels,” Philp stated. “It’s outrageous that judges seem more focused on allowing drug dealers and other criminals to stay in the UK than on protecting the British public from reoffending. This situation is a complete farce, and fundamental changes to human rights laws are clearly necessary.”

Previous Cases
This is not the first time foreign criminals in the UK have successfully avoided deportation using human rights claims.

Earlier this month, an Albanian criminal avoided removal from the country after arguing that his son had an aversion to foreign chicken nuggets. Similarly, a Pakistani paedophile escaped deportation when a court ruled that sending him back would be “unduly harsh” on his children.

These cases have reignited the debate over immigration laws and the role of human rights legislation in deportation rulings.