£500,000 for foreign criminals
FOREIGN criminals have grabbed nearly £500,000 in compensation for being kept in jail while awaiting deportation over the last year, it was revealed last night.
The convicts were handed the cash after being held in custody beyond the end of their sentences while officials considered sending them home.
Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve said the public “will rightly be shocked” by the huge taxpayer-funded figure.
The cash has been handed out by the Criminal Casework Directorate following court claims.
It follows a House of Lords ruling three years ago that foreign prisoners should come under the same release procedures as British-born convicts.
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: “We are bound to accept their decision.”