Karam Majdi – Brighton

Rapist loses latest legal challenge against deportation after claiming bisexuality

A convicted rapist who claimed he should be allowed to remain in the UK because he would face persecution in Egypt due to his alleged bisexuality has lost his latest legal challenge against deportation.

Karam Majdi, 27, was sentenced to seven years in custody after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he had met online.

During his trial in Brighton in 2018, the court heard that Majdi had used the online name “Mano Love” to make contact with two schoolgirls.

He raped one of the girls and admitted having sexual intercourse with the second during a five-day trial.

The victim was reportedly left with severe bruising to her thighs after Majdi pinned her down despite her protests.

An immigration tribunal has now rejected his latest appeal, concluding that his removal from the UK “was and remains in the public interest”.

Deportation appeal rejected

Majdi argued that returning him to Egypt would expose him to persecution because of his claimed bisexuality.

However, Judge R Abdar rejected the argument and found that Majdi had failed to demonstrate that he was bisexual.

The judge also concluded that he had failed to overcome the presumption that he posed a danger to the community.

The tribunal questioned evidence Majdi had provided about alleged relationships with men and also rejected his claim that he was Syrian.

Majdi had previously claimed that he arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied child after fleeing fighting in Aleppo.

He said his identity documents had been lost during his journey to Britain by small boat in 2016.

Home Office challenged account

The Home Office disputed both his claimed nationality and his account of his sexuality.

George Mavrantonis, representing the Home Office, told the tribunal that Majdi’s bisexuality claim had first emerged in 2021 and argued that it was an attempt to strengthen his asylum case.

The tribunal heard that an earlier professional assessment had resulted in the Government accepting that Majdi was bisexual.

The Home Office subsequently acknowledged that the concession had been made in error and successfully applied for it to be withdrawn.

Majdi told the tribunal that he had relationships with two men but was unable to provide supporting photographs or messages. He attributed this to having lost his phone SIM card.

Further offences

The tribunal also heard that Majdi had been convicted of further offences since his release from custody.

In April, he was convicted and fined for possessing cocaine, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

He is also due to appear in court next June in connection with an allegation of possessing a personal quantity of cannabis.

Majdi represented himself during parts of the immigration proceedings after declining to use an interpreter requested by his solicitor.

The tribunal also rejected an application for his identity to remain anonymous.

The Home Office argued that identifying him was justified by the principle of open justice, and the tribunal agreed.

The latest ruling means Majdi’s challenge to his removal from the UK has been rejected, with the tribunal finding that deportation remains in the public interest.