UK's first eastern European mayor loses lengthy legal battle to avoid deportation following his conviction for rape

Published: 10:31, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 10:36, 13 July 2026 An immigrant hailed as the UK’s first eastern European mayor has lost a lengthy legal battle against being deported following his conviction for rape. Aigars Balsevics, 55, became the First Citizen of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire in 2020 but went from mayoral chains to prison bars following the sex assault just a year later. The Latvian – who was able to remain in the UK and become a town councillor despite receiving a suspended jail term in his home country for robbery – was given a six-and-a-half year sentence following a trial and told he would be deported. He appealed against the decision on the grounds that it would breach his human rights by damaging his relationship with his two children, who lived with his ex-wife. A First-tier tribunal judge backed his case, saying the ‘separation of the children from their father would be unduly harsh’. But Upper Tribunal Judge Susan Kebede has now overturned that ruling, noting Balsevics' children had not lived with him for six years and he had not had physical contact with them for three years. ‘The appellant has committed a serious criminal offence, he is considered… to be a risk to the public and to children, albeit at best a low to medium risk, he has a history of abuse of his ex-partner to the extent that she had to take out a restraining order against him,’ she wrote in her judgment. Judge Kebede added Balsevics 'has been assessed as causing harm to his children, who witnessed the abuse’. Latvian Aigars Balsevics, 55, became the First Citizen of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire in 2020 Just three years later he was jailed for more than six years for the two rapes, which occurred in 2021 Steve Barclay, the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, which includes Wisbech, told the Mail: ‘This individual must be deported at the earliest opportunity and certainly on his release from prison. ‘It’s a good illustration of why we need to leave the ECHR, given the significant costs already incurred as a result of his criminality and the tribunal hearings. ‘This is someone who has disgraced his community, abused the hospitality that was offered and there are no grounds which merit him continuing to live in the UK.’ The disgraced local politician entered the UK in 2003 and went on to become a successful businessman, owning three pubs and two residential properties. In May 2012, he was convicted of robbery in Latvia and given a suspended five-year jail term but was able to return to the UK under the supervision of his home country’s probation service. Just three years later, he became a member of Wisbech Town Council. By 2019 he was deputy mayor and the following year he had the honour of becoming the town’s mayor. But in August 2023, Balsevics was convicted of two rape charges against the same woman. Jurors at Peterborough Crown Court heard that he had entered his victim’s home on May 24, 2021, and forced himself on her, despite her repeatedly telling him ‘no’. Balsevics argued against deportation following his conviction and jailing, arguing it affected his human right to family life She then tried to get away but he stopped her from leaving the room and raped her again. The distressed woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, managed to contact two friends and he left when they arrived at the property. Police were alerted and Balsevics, who runs his pubs as director of Maxis Bars Ltd, was arrested the next day. He was subsequently suspended from the Conservative Party. Speaking after the conviction, Detective Constable Katie Housham commended the victim for her bravery. She said: ‘I hope this conviction will help her as she tries to rebuild her life. ‘Balsevics ignored her repeated pleas for him to stop and even refused to let her leave when she tried to get away. ‘I’m pleased he has now faced justice for his actions.’ The defendant – who was stripped of his pub licence in 2021 after breaking Covid regulations by allowing customers to hug and kiss on Christmas Eve 2020 – was informed by the Home Office in November 2023 that he was to be deported after serving his jail term. The pub owner had his claim overturned at the Upper Tribunal, where Judge Susan Kebede said the factors in his favour were 'outweighed' by a number of factors including 'the nature and seriousness of his offending' But the First-tier Tribunal judge sided with him after concluding he was ‘a devoted father’ whose ex-wife would ‘not allow the children to visit Latvia for fear that he might not let them return to the UK’. The ‘unduly harsh’ impact on the boy and girl trumped concerns about ‘evidence the risk the appellant posed was mixed’. The Secretary of State then appealed to the Upper Tribunal where Judge Kebede concluded her predecessor’s judgment was ‘outside the range of reasonable conclusions’ but agreed to hear the evidence again in its entirety. The case was heard on June 8 and Balsevics’ appeal has now been dismissed in a written judgment. Judge Kebede said: ‘The factors in the appellant’s favour, namely his relationship with his children and their best interests, his length of residence in and ties to the UK, his prior standing in the community and the benefits he conferred on his community, and his expressions of remorse at his offending and attempts to address his offending behaviour and move forward, are outweighed by the nature and seriousness of his offending, his past treatment of his partner and the adverse effect that that had on his children and the limited evidence of any material rehabilitation or material reduction in the level of risk of causing serious harm.’ The judge also noted the children had lived with their mother for six years and had ‘not had physical contact with their father for three years’. She added: ‘There is no evidence to suggest that [the mother] is not able to provide the children with the care they require in the appellant’s absence or that she is lacking in any respect as a sole parent.’ Balsevics, who will remain on the Sexual Offenders Register for life, is originally from Rezekne, a city 150 miles east of the Latvian capital, Riga. He has a conditional release date of December 11 next year. In 2022, an Iranian migrant who claimed he was 16 was left facing deportation after Judge Kebede ruled he was actually 25. Aria Ibrahimi was taken into care by Kent County Council as a minor before social workers became suspicious. The tribunal heard his 'facial features were set and without the soft features of a youth' and he had even joined dating groups for people aged 30 to 55 and a list of 19 to 25-year-old singles. Shabana Mahmood announced plans in March to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers before they could use human rights laws to appeal or block their removals. Using laws drawn up by Tony Blair's Labour government, the Home Secretary revealed migrants would be removed as soon as their asylum claims are rejected, so they can only appeal once back in their home countries. The tougher approach was aimed at reducing the record backlog of more than 100,000 appeals made by rejected asylum seekers - many of whom are housed in hotels costing the taxpayer millions. Failed asylum seekers would be deported to 25 'safe' countries identified by officials before they can appeal. These include India, Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Albania and Ukraine. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.