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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales High Court (Administrative Court) Decisions >> Cahyono, R (on the application of) v Entry Clearance Officer [2013] EWHC 365 (Admin) (07 February 2013) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2013/365.html Cite as: [2013] EWHC 365 (Admin) |
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QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
THE ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
Strand London WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
(Sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge)
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THE QUEEN ON THE APPLICATION OF CAHYONO | Claimant | |
v | ||
ENTRY CLEARANCE OFFICER | Defendant |
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WordWave International Limited
A Merrill Communications Company
165 Fleet Street London EC4A 2DY
Tel No: 020 7404 1400 Fax No: 020 7404 1424
(Official Shorthand Writers to the Court)
Mr Bilal Rawat (instructed by Treasury Solicitors) appeared on behalf of the Defendant
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Crown Copyright ©
"However, on your application form you stated that, in 2003, in Bali, Indonesia, you were arrested and convicted of the possession of 10 tablets of Ecstasy. On 9 January 2004, you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 4 years. You served 3 years, 4 months and 3 days of this term before your release. That criminal conviction means that I must consider your application for entry clearance in accordance with paragraph 320 of the Immigration Rules, which gives details of general grounds on which an application for entry clearance must or may be refused."
The letter then sets out in terms Rule 320(18) and I will return to that shortly. The letter continues as follows:
"The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 classifies Ecstasy as a Class A controlled drug. Class A drugs are considered to be the most harmful and are therefore treated as the most dangerous under the Act. A person will be charged with possession under the Misuse of Drugs Act if he has the controlled substance in his physical possession, in his pocket for example, or if he has control over it without permission. In order to prove possession, the amount of the controlled substance held is not considered. All that needs to be proved is that the individual had the controlled substance in his possession and that he was aware of having it in his possession. The sentence available for possession of a Class A drug on indictment is up to seven years' imprisonment or an unlimited fine or, in some cases, both.
In view of the foregoing, I conclude that you have been convicted of on offence which, had it occurred in the United Kingdom, would have been punishable with a sentence of more than 12 months' imprisonment. That being the case, entry clearance should normally be refused.
However, under paragraph 320(18) I have the discretion to grant an application for entry clearance where I am satisfied that 'admission would be justified for strong compassionate reasons'. I have therefore considered whether strong compassionate reasons exist in your case.
I have taken into account the following facts: that the offence for which you were convicted took place some seven years prior to your application for entry clearance, that you were released from prison some four years before you made your application, that it is said that you have not reoffended, and that it is said that you are a close friend of your sponsor's partner. Your sponsor has said that you have served the punishment administered to you by the Indonesian courts and that, other than your conviction, there is no reason to refuse your application. All of these points were made in the letter dated 26 October 2010 written by your sponsor and I have given them due weight in my assessment of the facts.
Your sponsor says that the compassionate circumstances outlined in your application and in his letter represents factors to be considered in mitigation. To set them out, they are: your age at the time of the commission of the offence (24 years), and your age now (32 years); the length of time since your conviction (8 years) and release in December 2006 (5 years); the lack of any further conviction; your full-time employment; the time that has elapsed from the time of your previous application and making this application (2 years); the opinion of your sponsor that a court in the UK would have reached a different sentencing conclusion on the facts and that it is inconceivable that you should be excluded from the UK based on this evidence.
I have considered these arguments and my conclusions are as follows: you are convicted of a very serious offence and this fact weighs heavily against you, not only because of the length of the sentence which you received but also because of the seriousness which UK law accords to such an offence in general and the class of drug to which the offence relates. Had you received a sentence of 4 years' imprisonment in the United Kingdom, the sentence would not be considered as 'spent' under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Custodial sentences of more than 2 and a half years can never become spent under the terms of that Act.
It is not appropriate for me to speculate as to the likely sentence that the offence may have attracted in the United Kingdom. My function is to determine application for entry clearance in accordance with the facts and evidence available to me and not to debate the hypothetical outcome in sentencing in a criminal matter (there is no claim that you are innocent of the offence). In the United Kingdom, Ecstasy is categorised as a Class A under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and that means that it is considered to be amongst the most harmful and dangerous of drugs.
I do not consider that your age at the time of the commission of the offence and your conviction is a factor that should be afforded any weight in your favour. You were 24 years old when the offence was committed; you are not a minor and you were capable of fully understanding the risks involved and the potential consequences of your actions.
Set against that are these factors: you are said not to have reoffended; you are said to be employed; you are said to have a stable life; you are said to have known your sponsor and his partner for several years. I have given you full credit for these matters but I do not consider that they constitute strong compassionate reasons which would lead me to exercise discretion in your favour and grant your application for entry clearance. Your sponsor has said in his letter dated 26 October 2010 that his partner regards you as a brother. I have not seen any evidence that you and your sponsor's partner are actually related and you have made no such claim. That being so, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights is not engaged and refusing your application does not constitute a breach of your human rights.
You wish to make a social visit only to friends in the UK. There are no special or compassionate reasons for the visit. It is arguable that you have stronger reasons for coming to the United Kingdom in 2008 when you made your first application for entry clearance because, at that time, you were invited to attend the civil partnership ceremony of your sponsors, yet you did not contest the refusal of that application. The visit proposed now does not have to take place in the UK. Your sponsors can visit you in Bali or elsewhere if they wish."
The letter continues by referring to guidance that has been issued and concludes by saying this:
"...I am satisfied that it is reasonable and proportionate to refuse your application in accordance with paragraph 320(18) of the Immigration Rules because, for the reasons given, I do not consider that you and your sponsor have advanced strong compassionate reasons which would lead me to exercise discretion in your favour.
I therefore refuse your application in accordance with paragraph 320(18) of the Immigration Rules."
"Save where the Immigration Officer is satisfied that admission would be justified for strong compassionate reasons, conviction in any country, including the United Kingdom of an offence which, if committed in the United Kingdom is punishable with imprisonment for a term of 12 months' or any greater punishment or, if committed outside the United Kingdom, would be so punishable if the conduct constituting the offence had occurred in the United Kingdom."
"The balancing and weighing of relevant considerations is primarily a matter for the public authority and not the Courts. Courts, have, however, been willing to strike down as unreasonable decisions where manifestly excessive or manifestly inadequate weight has been accorded to a relevant consideration in determining whether a consideration is relevant."
1. The claim for judicial review is dismissed;
2. The claimant is to pay the defendant's costs, those costs to be the subject of detailed assessment if agreement on the costs cannot be reached; and
3. Permission to appeal is refused.