Jamaican gangster with firearm convictions dodged deportation after "ill-informed do-gooders" staged mutiny on plane
15 January 2024, 15:17
A Jamaican gangster, who was saved from deportation on a BA flight, has been revealed as a violent drug dealer who took part in a deadly shootout on the streets of Birmingham.
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Lawrence Morgan, 27, dodged deportation after passengers aboard a Boeing 777 British Airways flight to Kingston, Jamaica, staged a mutiny by refusing to sit down for take off.
Morgan, who has links to the notorious Johnson Crew - a gang behind the bloody violence that terrorised the streets of inner-city Birmingham in the 1990s and 2000s - thanked the protesters as he was escorted off the plane.
In 2021, Morgan was convicted of firearm offences after firing 13 shots with a handgun in a brutal turf war with a rival gang, during which one of his associates was “executed” at point-blank range.
Morgan was due to be thrown out of the UK in November last year before plans for his deportation were thwarted by protesters who were unaware of his convictions at the time.
The incident was first reported by the Mail on Sunday in November, but the Home Office has now disclosed Morgan’s identity, as revealed by the paper.
Morgan, who was classified as a 'very high harm' foreign offender due to his gun offences, has also got convictions for offences involving hard drugs.
Home Secretary James Cleverly blasted “do-gooders” who attempted to block the deportation of foreign criminals.
Mr Cleverly told the Mail on Sunday: “The vast majority of the British people think convicted, violent thugs should be deported”.
He added: “My mission is to keep the British people safe. We must be able to remove offenders from our country without interference from misguided and ill-informed do-gooders.”
Cambridge University graduate Hannah Gaffey, 26, from Salford, Greater Manchester, who previously campaigned online for asylum seekers to be allowed to work, led the revolt which resulted in authorities being prevented from carrying out the lawful deportation.
Ms Gaffey took to X to send out a series of posts that described how she became suspicious that one of the passengers was a foreign national who was on the flight to be deported after Morgan began struggling and shouting “get off me”.
Seeking advice, she phoned human rights charity Detention Action via its 'confidential' advice line.
Ms Gaffey was reportedly informed by a flight attendant that the passenger was facing deportation because he “had done something bad,” to explain why Morgan was being restrained by officials at the back of the plane.
The government has continued its efforts to kick Morgan out of the country since 2016, but the case has been stuck in the system after being faced with legal challenges, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Lawyers representing Morgan, who lived in Nechells, Birmingham, argue that the criminal’s life would be at risk from deadly gangs if he was sent back to Jamaica, adding that he was in fear for his life.
Morgan is also believed to have claimed the “right to family life” under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) because he had fathered a child in the UK.
The convicted criminal has also painted a portrayal of himself as a positive role model for troubled teenagers, claiming that he has been partaking in voluntary work with youths.
