Locations
Perry Street, Hull, East Riding Of Yorkshire, HU3
Description
A convicted sex offender who had repeatedly been deported kept defiantly returning to this country and changed his name in a crafty bid to fool the border authorities.
The Lithuanian criminal was so determined to return that he hatched a "well planned" scheme to trick his way into the UK but it backfired badly when investigations were made, Hull Crown Court heard. Konstantinas Siniakovas, 36, of Perry Street, Hull, admitted entering the UK at Leeds Bradford airport on February 24 in breach of a deportation order and avoiding enforcement action by deception between June 25 last year and February 27.
Michael Forrest, prosecuting, said that Siniakovas, a Lithuanian national, was first given a deportation order from this country in April 2019 because of his foreign convictions. He was deported in May 2019 but was arrested by British police in May 2020.
Siniakovas was again deported in October 2020 after serving a prison sentence for a sexual offence, dishonesty and driving offences. The deportation order was still in force but, in July last year, he gave a false first name but the same surname when stopped by police for a driving matter.
He gave a date of birth and an address in College Grove, Hull, and the matter was referred to the Home Office criminal and financial team for further investigation. It was discovered that, on June 8 last year, he had entered the country under the other name. He had made an application on June 25 under the European settlement scheme using the false name.
He gave further details under that name and submitted a Lithuanian identity card as supposed proof of identity as well as bills, including one from Eon for electricity, and a completed questionnaire asking whether he had any criminal convictions or was known by any other name.
"The defendant responded 'No' to all these questions," said Mr Forrest. After checks with the Lithuanian embassy, Siniakovas was found to have changed his name on December 16, 2020. On February 27 this year, officers identified the driver of the car as Siniakovas.
"This was following checks with the Border Force agency and the defendant was arrested," said Mr Forrest. Siniakovas had convictions for 32 previous offences, including sexual assault in October 2020 in this country.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, said: "The defendant accepts that he was aware of the order but instructs me that he misunderstood the deportation rules. He fully accepts his offending.
"He wants to express his remorse for his offending. The reason he keeps returning to the United Kingdom is to support his family, who are in Lithuania. He has a son ... he accepts that this is no excuse for his offending.
"The defendant asks that the court passes the shortest sentence possible. He welcomes deportation and wishes to return to Lithuania as soon as possible."
Judge Sophie McKone told Siniakovas: "You were first deported from this country in 2019 but returned in 2020. When you returned in 2020, you committed a sexual offence and you were again deported, having served a prison sentence, but you again came back into this country when you knew full well that you should not.
"This was well planned by you because, in order to do so, you changed your name and then provided documents in that name. There is no proper excuse for you to keep returning to this country when you know you should not."
Siniakovas was jailed for 20 months. Judge McKone told him: "You will serve half the sentence and then you will be deported."