A convicted sex offender from Zimbabwe has been allowed to stay in the UK due to fears of the "hostility" he would face in his home country.

The Home Office wanted to deport him, but this was blocked by an immigration tribunal judge who feared his human rights would be breached.

Judge Sarah Pinder argued the deportation would violate Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), prohibiting torture, inhuman treatment, and degrading punishment.

The man's lawyers' claimed that he, being openly gay, would be met with "substantial hostility" from Zimbabwean authorities, which Judge Pinder agreed with.

The anonymous man, known only as RC, has been in prison for over five years for child sex offences, The Telegraph reports.

He is also autistic and deaf, which the court said affects his social skills and ability to "defuse" said hostility.

Judge Pinder said the evidence justified letting RC stay in the UK, rejecting an appeal by the Home Office to have him deported.

This comes amid warnings that immigration appeals, particularly those on human rights grounds, could slow down returns of illegal immigrants.

Despite potential setbacks, the Home Office said a record number of refused asylum seekers have been deported since July 2024.

Over 16,400 "immigration offenders and foreign criminals" have been returned in this time - a 24% increase on the previous 12 months.

Sir Keir Starmer praised his Government's work and took aim at the Tories' Rwanda scheme, which he said wasted time and "wasn't working".

He said: "For the individuals that are being smuggled, the disincentive is you’re wasting your money, and if you get to the UK, you’re going to be returned to where you came from.

"I’m really pleased that the figures for the last six months show record numbers of people being returned, 16,400 people who should not be in the UK.

"It’s the highest number now for six or seven years, because this government has prioritised making sure that we are returning people who shouldn’t be here, not wasting our time on things like the Rwanda scheme, which wasn’t working."