A 78 year old woman was violently attacked by a Slovakian career criminal after he was allowed to enter the UK under EU freedom of movement rules.
Mario Stojka, who is wanted in his home country, has a string of criminal convictions and served several jail terms for street muggings, the Express reports.
He fled to Britain in 2012 to avoid the Slovak justice system and since he has been living here has been caught twice by police for shoplifting.
Yet despite his criminal CV both here and abroad, he was allowed to roam the streets looking for new victims.
He attacked Jean Crowther on the street and tried to rip her watch and jewellery from her arm and neck before snatching £200 from her handbag, Bradfored Crown Court heard.
Mrs Crowther is now too scared to leave her home alone.
This is the latest in a long line of attacks by foreign criminals who have been allowed to enter this country thanks to Brussels rules. Others include the suspected murderer of teenager Alice Gross.
Officials believe hundreds of thousands of foreign criminals live in the UK undetected because border police have no right to turn them away even if they were aware of their criminal records.
The Home Office admitted last week that “tens of thousands” of non-EU criminals have been given British passports even though the border agency can turn them away – but the required checks had not been carried out.
This number includes 12000 currently being handled by the Home Office, including 775 murdered and 587 rapists.
Chief Border inspector John Vine revealed last week one asylum seeker to the UK admitted stabbing someone to death but was allowed to become a British citizen.
He said “no attempts” are made to check criminal records of applicants. And alarmingly, even if they admit to crimes the Home Office frequently ignores it if they cannot independently verify them.
Bradford West MP George Galloway condemned the decision to allow Stojka to enter this country unchecked and he demanded he be deported once his sentence has been served.
Mr Galloway said, “It is entirely wrong that such criminals should be allowed to stay in Britain and efforts should be made to check the criminal records of people wanting to come.”
And fellow Yorkshire MP Philip Davies called Stojka “despicable” and said he was a prime example of why Britain needs to leave the EU.
“He is clearly despicable. He should be kicked straight out of the country when he comes out of prison” the Conservative MP for Shipley said.
“This is the problem of being in the EU. The free movement of people opens the door to criminals.”>
“It is one of the many reasons why I want us out.”
Unless dramatic reforms are made to existing EU laws, even if Stojka was deported after he had served his sentence there is no guarantee he would not have to be allowed back into the UK under the rules governing ‘freedom of movement’.
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