The man also threatened to throw acid at a girlfriend and had a restraining order against another, the asylum court heard.
The case was heard at the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (Image: GOOGLE )
A migrant who carried out a string of domestic violence attacks and beat up five of his girlfriends was allowed to stay in Britain, it has emerged. Hamilton Jorge Da Silva Pinho was judged to be a “risk of serious harm” after he threw an electric heater and a steam mop at partners as part of his long-running spree of domestic violence.
The Portuguese man also threatened to throw acid at a girlfriend and was issued with a restraining order against another, an asylum court heard. Despite being jailed for almost a year, Pingo was allowed to stay in the country because of the emotional effect his deportation would have on his child, an immigration judge previously concluded, despite father and son not living together. Following a Home Office appeal, the case will now be heard again, with Upper Tribunal Judge Helen Rimington agreeing that the verdict needed to be reassessed on the grounds of legal error.
The Home Office appealed the decision allowing the Portuguese migrant to remain in the UK (Image: Getty)
The 37-year-old entered the UK in 2009 with his parents, the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber heard, and visited Portugal between 2018 and 2019 despite claiming to have little connection with family or friends there.
He was granted leave to remain in the UK for five years in November 2019, despite a criminal record which included a 20-month prison sentence for actual bodily harm and assault by beating.
Pinho was described as a perpetrator of domestic violence against five women including his current partner, and one victim claimed he had thrown an electric heater and a steam mop at her, as well as threatening to hit her with a weight and throw acid in her face.
He will remain subject to a restraining order until 2028 and has also been prosecuted for threatening abusive words or behaviour, as well as shoplifting, battery and the destruction of property.
The Home Office issued a deportation notice for Pinho in November 2023, but it was refused on the grounds of his human rights claim. A judgement from the First-tier Tribunal hearing found that “it would be unduly harsh for [his] child to remain in the UK without him”.
“Mr Pinho is assessed as posing a medium risk of serious harm to children based on the potential for children to witness his abusive behaviour, however there is nothing to indicate he has behaved abusively in front of children at this stage,” it continued.
“I find that the evidence demonstrates a particularly close relationship and very strong emotional bonds, and that there is strong likelihood of emotional damage to the child if [Pinho] is deported to Portugal.”
The Home Office appealed the decision on the grounds that the 37-year-old had “failed to accept responsibility for all of his offending”. It was also claimed that the First-tier Tribunal Judge had acknowledged that he had an “entrenched pattern of abusive behaviour towards female partners” which posted a “risk of serious harm to his child, ex-partner and future partners”.
Pinho’s two-year-old child was born two months before Pinho was sent to prison, from which he was released in September 2024. He lives with his mother, who is the primary carer.
Judge Rimington said there had been a “procedural error” in the initial verdict involving the judge “exceeding his powers in considering the human rights appeal”.
