Kidnappers and rapists among 37 dangerous foreign criminals deported to Romania

The Home Office has confirmed that a specially chartered flight removed 37 Romanian national back to their home country.

The offenders had been handed down prison sentences totalling a combined 188 years.

Those deported include a man sentenced to five years in prison for rape.

Another man, who was sentenced to more than five years for sexual assault, was also on the flight.

As was a man who was convicted of a kidnapping plot and sentenced to two years in prison.

The removal flight was conducted in co-operation with the Romanian government and forms part of a regular schedule of returns to multiple countries, to remove those with no right to remain in the UK.

Last month, 240 foreign national offenders were removed from the UK on both charter and scheduled flights.

They included 98 drug offenders, 35 sex offenders and 29 people convicted of acts of violence.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “These criminals are responsible for appalling offences including rape, sexual assault and kidnap, which destroy lives, families and communities. They have violated our laws and our values, leaving their victims living with the scars of their crimes.

“The British public should be in no doubt of my determination to remove them by all available means to make our streets safer. Our new Nationality and Borders Act will help end the cycle of last-minute claims and appeals that can delay removals."

Between January 2019, and the end of last year, the UK had removed 10,741 foreign national offenders.