Alex Salmond joins plea to help Precious, 10

Published on Saturday 10 July 2010 14:23

ALEX Salmond and the leaders of both the Scottish Catholic Church and the Kirk have urged David Cameron to offer a reprieve to a Malawian girl and her mother who have been ordered to leave Scotland this weekend.

In an unprecedented move, the First Minister has signed a joint letter with Cardinal Keith O'Brien and the Rt Rev John Christie asking the Prime Minister to personally intervene in the case, involving ten-year-old Precious Mhango.

Together with her mother Florence, the pair have been told to return to their home country by the Home Office after failing to win their claim to stay in the UK.

Their case has reached national prominence after the pair argued that they now see Scotland as their home, and that they fear being split up if forced to return to Africa.

The Home Office had arranged for them to leave voluntarily yesterday but the pair refused to leave. It means they could be detained and removed forcibly within the next few days.

Their decision comes after a High Court judge decided a Home Office deportation decision was "legitimate, necessary and proportionate".

However, supporters of the pair say they still have an appeal pending against that decision, and say it is entirely unjust to remove them before it is heard.

Salmond, O'Brien and Christie wrote to Cameron privately last week but yesterday decided to publicise their letter in the hope of putting fresh pressure on UK Ministers.

The letter declares: "We have not made the decision to intervene in this family's case lightly. We are fully aware that the policy surrounding this issue is reserved. However, the depth of feeling for this family in Scotland is such that we must make this request.

"Precious and her mother have been in the UK for 7 years, Precious knows no other home. Her friends and schooling are here in Scotland. The Mhango family have settled well into Scottish society and have fully integrated into their local community.

"Deportation of this family will take Precious away from everything she knows, to be faced with an uncertain future."

The letter goes on to cite concerns made by the Mhango family that, if forced to return, they will be split up.

Malawian marriage law states than any children are the property of the husband's family. Florence separated from her husband, claiming he had been violent towards her, but believes she will have no claim on her daughter back home.

Along with their own letter, Cameron has also been sent a letter from the Rev Alan Kimmitt, a Kirk Minister serving in Malawi. He declared: "I believe that returning Precious to Malawi would be unfair and highly disruptive.

Precious will effectively become an orphan in a country which already has far too many orphans due to HIV/Aids."

The mother and daughter have made several appeals to the Home Secretary asking to remain the country.

However, the Home Office has argued that their ties to Britain "are not sufficiency compelling to justify allowing them to remain in the UK."

They have now been in the UK for seven years, travelling to Glasgow after Florence separated from her husband.z