Isimeli Baleiwai - Rough Justice?

Isimeli Baleiwai is a Fijian who has a British wife, two kids born here and served in the army - in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq twice and once in Afghanistan - for the last 13 years.

In 2011, his commanding officer said his performance was "of an exceptionally high standard". L/Cpl Baleiwai was rated "an excellent junior NCO [non commissioned officer]" who was "always leading from the front". "He is charismatic, selfless and well-liked," the officer said.

The thing is though he is now being 'deported' from the country. Why, because he got into a fight when serving with a colleague.

L/Cpl Baleiwai said that his fight lasted less than a minute and his colleague suffered a broken filling. He pleaded guilty at the subsequent disciplinary hearing before his commanding officer and was fined £1,000. He said he had been offered a solicitor but waived his right because he just "wanted the case to go away".

"To me as far as I understood it, that was it - that was the end of it".

But disciplinary action for a 2010 fight with a colleague means he is considered to have a criminal record.

However, our correspondent said many disciplinary offences in the military would not be offences in civilian life and the military process lacked some of the checks and balances of civilian courts.

Veterans Aid chief executive Dr Hugh Milroy said it seemed "completely incredible" that L/Cpl Baleiwai was being barred from the UK because of his brawl.

"This is so minuscule as an incident, but the implications are massive," he said. "This should have been done and dusted and gone."



Seems a bit rough on the man to me.

Full story here -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18940236

On the surface of it, harsh.

In reality, I don't know nearly enough to form an opinion. I am always concerned about being force fed the populist interpretation of anything relating to alleged unfair treatment of the armed forces.

For example, the glowing comments from the commanding officer. Well, they're always glowing, such comments, aren't they? No such thing as a bad soldier if you listen to what commanding officers say in public. I could go on.

I think the EU court will overturn any deportation. His wife is British and he has two children who were born here. There is no way they can deport him without being overturned in Brussels.

Reebok Trotter wrote:I think the EU court will overturn any deportation. His wife is British and he has two children who were born here. There is no way they can deport him without being overturned in Brussels.

Wont be the EU court as it is a Human Rights effort, and as such it will be the Winston Churchill created European Court of Human Rights!!!