Actor born and bred in London, 33, faces deportation to mothers’ homeland of Jamaica despite only visiting twice because he spent three years in jail for robbery a decade ago
- Ace Ruele Aristotles, 33, was born in London to a Jamaican mother
- The father-of-three had indefinite leave to remain until he was jailed in 2008
- He spent three years in jail after he fell in with the ‘wrong crowd’ as a teenager
- Since his conviction Mr Aristotles has appeared in major film and TV shows
- The Home Office has since threatened to deport him to Jamaica
A British Eastenders actor faces deportation to Jamaica despite only visiting the country twice as a child.
Father-of-three Ace Ruele Aristotles, 33, was born in London but his Jamaican mother did not have British citizenship.
He was given indefinite leave to remain in the UK but after he was convicted of offences including robbery in 2008 and spent three years in jail, he was sent to an immigration centre for five months.
While there he successfully challenged deportation. But five years ago his status was changed to limited leave to remain, the Independent reported.
It means the actor, who has appeared in The Legend of Tarzan and New Blood, has to pay £2,389 every 30 months to stay in the UK.
Father-of-three Ace Ruele Aristotles (pictured), 33, was born in London but his Jamaican mother did not have British citizenship
He was given indefinite leave to remain in the UK but after he was convicted of offences including robbery in 2008 and spent three years in jail, he was sent to an immigration centre for five months. Pictured, Mr Aristotles with his three children
He told the newspaper: ‘I feel like I am being punished twice for a mistake I made years ago.
‘I take responsibility for my actions but, at the end of the day, I’ve served my time, have never reoffended and I’m not a threat to society.’
A judge ruled in Mr Aristotles’ favour when he went to court about the decision to downgrade his status.
But after an appeal from the government another judge overturned the decision and claimed he had a ‘financial incentive’ to reoffend and hadn’t demonstrated family ties.
Mr Aristotles said he had been out of prison for four-and-a-half years when his indefinite leave to remain was revoked.
After an appeal from the government another judge overturned the decision and claimed he had a ‘financial incentive’ to reoffend and hadn’t demonstrated family ties
Despite the uncertainty, Mr Aristotles has appeared in several films and TV shows as well as mentoring young people at high risk of offending and working with police on outreach initiatives.
A few years ago he was sent a letter from the Home Office threatening him with deportation, he said.
Mr Aristotles is now without a nationality, because he does not hold Jamaican citizenship either.
It means he cannot travel for work and has lost out on opportunities – including in Canada, Spain and Italy – and he does not have access to benefits.
Mr Aristotles wrote a letter to the Home Office blaming institutional racism for his treatment. When an Upper Tribunal judge ruled his status should be downgraded the court said his mention of racism ‘undermined any suggestions at the appellant had come to terms with his offending’.
And a previous court’s rejection of the decision to downgrade his status was not taken into consideration by the Upper Tribunal.
MailOnline has approached the Home Office for comment.
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