Jamaican man fears death on deportation

The brother of the slain famous Jamaican entertainer Bogle has claimed that he fears for his own life if plans to deport him from his Birmingham home go ahead.

Lennox Russell failed in his application for asylum in the UK and has revealed he was the subject of death threats following the murder of his brother Gerald Levy aka Bogle.

In 2005, Levy was gunned down with four others by two men as they stopped in a Kingston service station. The community saw bitter infighting and rival artist John Hype’s home was burned down in reprisal attacks which also led to Russell fearing for his life.

Lennox Russell has been living in the UK for 12 years and married a British national. However, immigration officials have now deemed that he is safe to travel and ordered him home claiming he is not at risk there. Russell claimed that the move had shocked him and his friends saying that he would rather die in the UK than in Jamaica. He has voiced his exasperation that the UK government would send him back suggesting he is a condemned man.

Friends of Russell have told of how he has been telephoning them to say goodbye, saying it may be the last time they speak.

Russell, who has three children living in Britain, has himself been living in the inner-city Birmingham suburb of Saltley where he has been caring for disabled friend Bernadette O’Brien. Ms O’Brien called Russell a good man and said he visited the Solihull asylum centre every month to sign on.

A spokesperson for the UK Border Agency claimed that there was no reason to prevent Russell’s return to Jamaica where he was free to apply for permission for a UK visa as a partner married to a UK national. The agency said that marriage alone could not be used as a reason to bypass the UK’s immigration laws.

According to immigration officials if Russell is in a genuine relationship with a British citizen and has proven himself to be a law abiding member of the public with sufficient financial support then permission will be granted.