Rapist finally set to be deported after travel document mix-up saw him flown back to UK

A RAPIST is finally set to be deported after a farcical mix-up.

Former Ministry of Defence security guard Deon Starkey was flown to his home country of South Africa in 2017.

But his escorts forgot to take the right travel documents and he had to be flown straight back.

Since then the 48-year-old has fought the deportation order but last week lost his last appeal.

Starkey was convicted in 2011 of raping a girl of 16, two counts of indecent assault against a 14-year-old and gross indecency. He was sentenced to eight years.

He was given parole in early 2016, detained under immigration powers and ordered to be deported.

After the bungled attempt the following year he claimed he needed to remain in the UK to be treated for paranoid schizophrenia. But three immigration tribunal judges have now ruled he could get treatment in South Africa.

Figures show only 3,374 foreign offenders were removed from the UK in the year to September 2020 — down a third on the previous year.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she will bring in powers to speed up deportation of foreign criminals.

It would mean they can be deported up to 12 months before the end of their sentence rather than nine months.

The Home Office said: “This Government puts the rights of the public before those of criminals, and we are clear that foreign criminals should be deported wherever it is legal and practical to do so.”