Last ditch appeal for asylum family

Sabrina Bamburac has lived half her life in the UK

A family living on Tyneside who are facing deportation, are to challenge the decision.

The barrister for the Bamburac family will be launching an appeal on the grounds that the adjudicator failed to consider their human rights.

The appeal process could last from two weeks to six months.

The family has been living in Newcastle for five years, but have been ordered to return to Croatia after their application for asylum was turned down.

They have wide support from the community in Heaton and their MP Nick Brown.

Sabrina Bamburac, 10, is one of the country's best tennis prospects, and her school in Heaton has collected a petition to keep them in the country.

Her mother Branka is delighted with the support for her family:

'Real future'

Mr Brown said: "It does seem to me that there are things that can be said on the family's behalf.

"The little girl has spent more than half her life here in the UK.

"The family have settled here, they have made friends, they are an accepted part of the local community and people like them very much.

"The little girl is a very talented little girl, she is doing very well at school, she has a real future in lawn tennis.

'Political decisions'

"Why should all of that be ripped from her?"

Mr Brown added: "I can make the representations to the Home Office and separately present the petition in parliament and discuss with solicitors what other representations I should properly make.

"What I am not going to do is kid people that these are suddenly going to be become political decisions.

"I don't have the right to chuck people out of the country and I don't have the right to keep people in the country."