Man given asylum had long criminal record

A judge has criticised immigration authorities for letting an asylum seeker stay in Britain after he committed a string of crimes.

Judge Timothy King described the decision as "astonishing" and said if he had the power he would have deported Steven Omokanjuola.

Nigerian Omokanjuola, 29, was convicted of a violent attack on a stranger but had been told just days before he could stay indefinitely in the UK. Last night the judge said immigration officers should have checked his past.

Omokanjuola has spent 39 months behind bars since arriving in Britain in 1989. Omokanjuola of Dagenham was jailed for 12 months at Snaresbrook Crown Court.