Deportation request will go ahead

Thursday 28 November 2019

A Latvian man who was love struck with a local, and was allegedly planning a whirlwind wedding with her after just three months together, will still be recommended for deportation, Guernsey's Royal Court has decided.

28-year-old Kaspars Zavoronkovs yesterday appealed his Magistrate's Court's sentence, which included a deportation order, saying it was grossly excessive.

That appeal was dismissed by a panel of nine Jurats though, who decided to stand behind the sentence Zavoronkovs was given in the first instance. 

During his original trial - where he was facing charges of assault, minor theft and resisting arrest - the Magistrate had to rule on the legitimacy of Zavoronkovs' relationship with his alleged partner. Evidence was given by that partner saying they were planning a wedding and were engaged, but their stories apparently seemed suspicious and did not add up. Therefore, a ruling was given that it was fair to deport Zavoronkovs, who also had previous convictions, because his actual family were living in the UK. 

Pictured: While the Courts can recommend deportation, it is for the Lieutenant-Governor to sign off on it officially. This is what has happened in Zavoronkovs' case. 

Advocate David Domaille presented Zavoronkovs appeal to the Royal Court, claiming the request for deportation was wrong in principal and grossly excessive. He argued the Magistrate's Court had not properly understood the extent of his client's relationship, and also did not take into account Zavoronkovs' relationship with his partner's children. 

He also said his client had no family and no life in Latvia, while he did have a partner in the island. But Crown Advocate Chris Dunford reminded Judge Russell Finch and the Jurats that Zavoronkovs did have  that family in the UK, and it would be for the UK authorities to review the case to see if he was allowed to live there. 

The Royal Court also heard how during the trial, it had been revealed the couple had only been together for three months, since June, when they were claiming to be engaged. While Advocate Dunford said there was nothing wrong with this, it did add to the evidence that their relationship was not legitimate. 

Zavoronkovs had also never stayed at his partner's house over night, apparently because she was on benefits. 

"The trial Judge took a very thorough approach, correctly applied the law and also allowed an unusually high level of evidence from the defence," Crown Advocate Dunford said.

Finally, the Royal Court was told that Zavoronkovs had lived in the island for many years 'under the radar' - he was not known to housing and did not have a licence. 

The Jurats decided to throw out the appeal, so Zavoronkovs will serve the rest of his original prison sentence before being recommended for deportation. 

Pictured top: Zavoronkovs' appeal was heard by the Royal Court, after he was originally tried, convicted and sentenced in the Magistrates' Court.