THE Home Office still intends to deport ‘gang leader’ Joland Giwa as soon as possible and was “extremely disappointed” he was bailed to Newport, officials said in a letter yesterday.

Giwa, alleged to have been general of Croydon’s largest criminal gang Don’t Say Nothing, had been in immigration detention for more than four years after completing a 27-month prison term for two robbery convictions when he was relocated to Newport following a failed deportation attempt by the Home Office earlier this year.

Giwa, 25, of York Place, Newport, appeared at the city’s Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing a constable in execution of duty.

It related to an incident in July this year, for which he was already serving a 12-month conditional discharge for possession of a class B drug. One count of assaulting a constable was dropped.

He was fined £55 and ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge.

Newport West MP Paul Flynn wrote a letter to Home Secretary Theresa May in September asking for swift action after Giwa was arrested for having cannabis in a Newport park.

Mr Flynn received a reply yesterday advising him: “You are aware that the Home Office vigorously opposed Mr Giwa’s application for bail and we are extremely disappointed by the court’s decision.

“Mr Giwa is subject to rigorous contact management conditions, including electronic monitoring and weekly spontaneous doorstep checks by Newport [Gwent] Police.

“Despite our best efforts, deportation of foreign national offenders can be delayed in many ways including through the use of judicial challenges or by the individual’s failure to comply with the re-documentation process.

“It remains our intention to deport Mr Giwa on account of his criminality as soon as possible.”

The letter, from Mandie Campbell, director general of immigration enforcement, also said the Home Office had taken “tough new measures” to address the issue of deporting foreign offenders in the new Immigration Act including making it clear that family life in the UK will not prevent deportation of a criminal to end “abuse” of the European Convention on Human Rights and and “removing rights of appeal to make it easier and quicker to deport FNOs.”

Paul Flynn MP said: “Government promise action but there is no progress. The Immigration Bill is a pre-election panic stunt that is unlikely to be of practical value. Newport has accepted and integrated an excessively high number of asylum seekers in receipt of financial support. We must not be used as an easy option for difficult cases.”

He added that the letter arrived “weeks late - presumably to blunt any criticism I might make on the session about immigration yesterday [at the Home Affairs Committee].”

Speaking to the Argus in January of this year, Giwa said he meant no harm to Newport.

He said: “I never think I’m perfect but I think the way I’ve been targeted is worse than a terrorist. I have never killed anyone. I’m not a violent person. Nobody is scared of me. I’m not a harm to the public.”