An asylum seeker has won his battle to stay in the UK after the High Court ruled the Home Office took too long to consider his application. Martin Mthokozisi, 22, became a "model student" at Uxbridge High School, west London, after arriving at Heathrow Airport aged 13 in January 1996.
The court heard he applied for asylum on arrival from Uganda but a decision of refusal was not made until 2000.
The judge ruled there was "obvious unfairness" in Mr Mthokozisi's case.
Mr Mthokozisi, who said his father was killed for supporting the Ugandan government, appealed against the first refusal in 2000 but it failed in April 2002,
Family letters
After this the Refugee Legal Centre wrote to the Home Office arguing that returning Mr Mthokozisi to Uganda would infringe his human rights.
It took the Home Office a year to respond to this request which they once again refused, and in April this year removal directions were issued.
Mr Justice Owen said the Home Office's "failure to take any proper account of the delay" meant this decision could not stand.
Mr Mthokozisi's adoptive family, friends and teachers sent a total of 33 letters to back his application to stay in the UK.
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