Siobhan Whyte says it is “insulting” that Justice Secretary Alex Norris “will not even bother to reply” to victims’ repeated pleas for transparency
The migrant crisis has sparked fears of a security crisis (Image: Getty)
The mother of a woman murdered by an asylum seeker has accused justice chiefs of trying to “cover up migrant crime data” as their hunt for answers goes on. Siobhan Whyte said it was “insulting” that Justice Secretary Alex Norris “will not even bother to reply” to victims’ repeated pleas for transparency.
Labour is trying to prevent the publication of data that would reveal the full scale of foreign offending in England and Wales from 2018-24. The 14-year-old victim of Epping sex attacker Hadush Kebatu, Ms Whyte – whose daughter Rhiannon was stabbed 23 times by Deng Majek – and numerous grooming gang survivors have all written a letter to Mr Norris demanding the figures are published.
But the 11 families have not received any communication.
Ms Whyte blasted: “It is insulting that Alex Norris will not even bother to reply to victims of migrant crime who want to know why he is going to court to cover up migrant crime data. It begs the question: what is Norris trying to find?
“And why does he not have any empathy for those of us whose lives have been devastated by illegal migrants?
“The Ministry of Justice are yet again ignoring victims who want to help stop migrants committing some of the most horrific crimes.
“The first step is to publish the data so that the public can be informed. Alex Norris, please answer us.”
The Information Commissioner ruled that the Government must publish data on crimes committed by migrants between 2018 and 2024.
But the Ministry of Justice has refused, claiming it would be too expensive.
It then claimed it could lead to the identification of individuals in breach of their rights to privacy, and former justice secretary David Lammy agreed to take legal action to overturn the ICO ruling.
In an emotional letter to Mr Norris, the victims said: “We have lost loved ones, or had our lives devastated by horrific violence and abuse. We believe that the public has a right to understand the full impact of migration policy on crime.
“The release of this information is clearly and legitimately in the public interest.
“The public deserves to see the facts for themselves, and the country urgently needs an informed debate about the consequences of immigration policy.
English Channel migrant have crossings have sparked concern over safety (Image: Getty)
“Whatever conclusions the data ultimately reveals, we believe that withholding it further damages public trust and prevents any meaningful action from being taken.
“Transparency should be the starting point when dealing with information of such significance.”
Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said: “The Government is behaving disgracefully and refusing to even engage with those who have suffered so greatly as a result of non-existent border controls.
“These individuals have shown immense courage in the face of hardship and deserve a government that actually listens to their concerns.
“It is unconscionable that the Ministry of Justice is continuing its legal effort to block the publication of migrant crime data.
“We cannot solve the crisis until this data is put in the public domain.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Protecting the public is our priority and we are committed to supporting victims of all crimes – including through our record £550million funding package for victim support services.
“We do not comment on live legal proceedings.”