Deportee threat man wins appeal

Sakchai Makao enters the hearing offices in North Shields

A young Thai man facing deportation from Shetland has won his appeal.

Sakchai Makao, 23, faced deportation as a foreign national with a criminal record, sparking a major campaign to try and prevent the move.

He spent eight months in jail two years ago for fire-raising on Shetland, where he has lived since he was 10.

Makao told the BBC Scotland news website: "It's unbelievable, I am over the moon. I am so proud of the Shetland community."

Describing the moment the appeal verdict was delivered he said: "I got a big heavy feeling in my stomach.

"I thought I was going to cry or something but I didn't want to cry in front of everybody."

I have to thank everyone, the Shetland community has been great Sakchai Makao

He refused to blame the government for his ordeal, which followed its reaction to the release of foreign prisoners.

"I think there are a lot of things we could do to correct it and things we could do to learn from it," he said.

Makao added: "I did not expect a decision today, I expected to wait a week or two."

He said that if the decision had gone against him it would have been "hard to start all over again".

'Great relief'

Makao said: "I have to thank everyone, the Shetland community has been great."

His deportation appeal was heard in North Shields in Tyneside and there were celebrations in the courtroom after the judge announced his decision.

Judge John Aitken, who chaired a panel of three judges, said they would allow the appeal against deportation and the grounds for the decision would be given in writing later.

He told Makao: "We are going to allow this appeal and the exact reasons will be given in the letter. The appeal is allowed. You are free to go."

Thousands of islanders have shown their support for Makao

Davie Gardner, who led the Shetland for Sakchai campaign, said: "It is fantastic news for him, a great relief."

Mr Gardner, speaking on holiday in Australia, said: "It was terrible that he faced deportation.

"That was why so many people supported the campaign.

"We are delighted and elated at the decision.

"We have to thank everybody that backed him from the top down.

"The BBC highlighted the case and kept people interested in it, that was a major factor."

For Sakchai I hope this is the end of the story, but for the Home Office which took this decision it's just the beginning of the process Alistair Carmichael Orkney and Shetland MP

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael said: "I am absolutely delighted, I believed this would be the outcome but it's an enormous relief that we have achieved it.

"For Sakchai I hope this is the end of the story, but for the Home Office which took this decision it's just the beginning of the process.

"They have got to explain why they thought it was necessary to take this man from Shetland, hold him in prison and abdicate their responsibility every step of the way."

Petitions signed

Makao moved to Shetland with his mother, sister and stepfather in 1993 and he has not been back to Thailand since.

Hundreds of people turned out to support to the campaign

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard a mobile building and car were destroyed by fire when he was drunk in "two moments of madness" in 2002.

The tribunal hearing heard the fire-raising was committed when his step father had just died from cancer and a baby he had with his girlfriend had passed away only a few hours after birth.

Thousands of people, more than a third of the population of Shetland, signed a petition calling for his release from Durham Jail last month.

About 800 people turned up to an earlier demonstration in Lerwick in his support.

And a parliamentary motion supporting Makao was signed by 100 MPs.

A judge decided Makao could return to Lerwick pending his appeal against Home Office plans to deport him.

A final good luck rally night, attended by about 200 people, was held on Tuesday.