A foreign pedophile who abused his stepdaughter and two of her cousins ​​has been allowed to stay in Scotland – because his deportation would breach his right to a family life.

The 50-year-old man, originally from central Africa, was found guilty of the nasty sexual assaults on the three girls.

The severity of his crimes meant he was to be automatically sent back to his homeland.

But although his victims were members of his extended family, his deportation was blocked as he claimed his family life would suffer – despite the judge ruling he “continues to present a risk”.

Last night, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: “The public will be horrified that this dangerous criminal can remain in Scotland.

Common sense should mean that public safety always comes first, rather than criminals.

The man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was born in central Africa in the early 1970s.

A foreign pedophile who abused his stepdaughter and two of her cousins ​​has been allowed to stay in Scotland – because his deportation would breach his right to a family life.

Identified in official documents as ‘MD’, he arrived in Britain in 2008 and applied for asylum but was initially rejected. Using publicly funded legal aid, he went to court to argue that he should be allowed to stay.

He married a British woman and had three children and became stepfather to his wife’s daughter from a previous marriage.

In July 2014, he was given permission to stay after a judge accepted that he had a stable family life in the UK.

In December 2020, he was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow of assault, sexual penetration and sexual assault on three girls in his family, including his nine-year-old stepdaughter and two of her cousins.

Sentencing him to three years in prison for the “particularly serious and appalling crime”, the judge said: “Not only was it sexually motivated for your own benefit. thanks, but also the crimes were committed against the victims in whom you instilled confidence”.

MD now lives freely in Glasgow and is allowed to see his biological children – even though they live with his stepdaughter. The Home Office said it was contesting the decision

Foreign nationals who commit serious crimes are automatically subject to deportation, and the Home Secretary has ordered MD to be sent back to his homeland in August 2022.

However, MD appealed the deportation order, claiming it would be “unduly harsh” on his biological children.

A judge said MD had no legitimate claim to refugee status, but ruled that deportation would breach his rights to a family life – enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) – and “adversely affect” the welfare of his children .

MD now lives freely in Glasgow and is allowed to see his biological children – even though they live with his stepdaughter.

The Home Office said it was contesting the decision.

A record number of asylum seekers claiming to be gay have been granted permission to stay in the UK following an alleged abuse of ECHR rules.

In 2023, 2,133 asylum applications were granted on the basis of sexual orientation, a sharp increase from 762 in 2022. An extraordinary 49% of all asylum applications in Uganda involved a claim to be gay.

Under the ECHR, those likely to face persecution at home because of their sexuality can apply for asylum in the UK. The Home Office said its “processes are underpinned by a robust safeguards framework”.