EXCLUSIVE: Dad faces losing everything
WHEN father-of-two Alfred Bajri was sentenced to a one-year jail term, he didn't realise it could cost him his business, home – and even his family.
Alfred, 31, of Horley, built a new life in Britain since coming to the country 12 years ago as a penniless refugee fleeing war and ethnic cleansing in his native Kosovo.
Since then he married his wife Irene, had two sons, Arnold, 10, and Andy, five, who is severely autistic, and set up his own car wash business, now employing ten people.
Earlier this year the family crowned their achievements when they took out a mortgage on their first home in Horley.
But in June, Alfred, who had no previous convictions, was found guilty of unlawful wounding after being involved in a fight.
He now finds himself among thousands of foreign nationals in UK prisons facing deportation, after the family last week received a letter from the Home Office.
His wife Irene, 28, spoke exclusively to the Observer about how the ruling would destroy more than a decade's hard work - and of her fear for her vulnerable son if the family were forced back to Kosovo.
"This is destroying our lives," said Irene, a British citizen along with her children.
"My husband worked all his life to be where we are now, and now we're going to lose the house and everything and the business will have to close.
She added: "I don't have words to describe the opportunities we've had here, and the services we've had for our son are incredible.
"In Kosovo he'd have nothing. He'd have no care and no school to go to - it would be devastating."
The deportation ruling came in spite of a glowing reference from HMP Highdown in Surrey, where Alfred is serving his sentence.
Prison officers had agreed to release him last week, just three months into his jail term, under an electronic tagging scheme, in which prisoners thought unlikely to re-offend can return home on curfew.
But the deportation action ruled out his release. In a letter to the Home Office, one of his prison officers wrote of him: "In my ten years' service as a prison officer, Alfred surprised me with the level of remorse he showed for his victim.
"He has told me of his company and the hard work that has gone into making it work. I feel, because of this, Alfred and his family would not be a burden on our country.
"It would be tragic for him and his family to lose all that they have when I am so confident we will not hear from Alfred in a bad light again."
The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases, but in a statement it said it had 'radically reformed' the system for removing foreign nationals.
What do you think?
Email: alex.christiemiller@sussexn
ewspapers.co.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Crawley
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
