Illegal migrant convicted of child sex offences ‘swallowed battery to block deportation from Britain'

The man, identified in court only by his surname, Sharma, was convicted last year in Scotland of sexual activity with a child and supplying Class B drugs.

The court heard the Home Office finally secured deportation flight on September 23 after repeated hold-ups caused by the Indian High Commission failing to issue emergency travel documents.

However, the migrant remains in Britain after all attempts to deport him failed, as Indian officials did not provide the necessary paperwork.

The convicted sex offender could even receive compensation after filing a claim that parts of his detention were “unlawful.”

In August 2024, he was sentenced to three years in prison but was released just months later in November and transferred to an immigration centre.

His prison sentence was reduced because he had already spent time in custody before his conviction.

The Indian national "failed to comply with bail conditions on several occasions, including committing criminal offences", the High Court was told.

He was granted conditional immigration bail in May, but was not released because officials could not secure approved accommodation for him.

Justice Simon Tinkler said: "Any proposed accommodation had to be approved in order...to ensure that it was not too close to schools, parks and other places where children were likely to be."

After he had swallowed the vape battery, another deportation flight arranged for November 6, but this effort failed after Indian officials failed to submit the correct paperwork.

He was still being held in immigration detention in Scotland as of Tuesday.

The judge said that holding Sharma in a secure centre made it easier to prevent further attempts to interfere with his removal.

The ruling also recognised that he could still launch a separate legal claim for compensation if he argues that the length of his immigration detention was unlawful.

The Home Office told the court that his removal was “likely imminent” and that he posed a risk to the public.

The illegal migrant's criminal record, previous breaches of bail, and the earlier incident in which he tried to frustrate deportation were cited by Home Office officials.

Justice Tinkler agreed, concluding that his detention remained lawful for now.

In the year to July 2025, government figures show there were 9,115 enforced returns of illegal migrants from the UK.

Of these, 5,179 were foreign national offenders who had been convicted of crimes in Britain.

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