A judge ruled today that the hip-hop star Busta Rhymes could remain in the UK to perform at a charity concert, hours before he was due on stage.
Rhymes was within an hour of being deported yesterday because of criminal convictions in the US, before lawyers obtained an injunction preventing his removal. After being held at London City airport for 11 hours, he was released on bail pending today's hearing.
Mr Justice Stadlen, sitting at London's high court, continued the injunction preventing Rhymes' removal from the UK. He emphasised the extraordinary nature of the case, stressing that he was acting so as not to disappoint thousands of fans on their way to the gig at the time the judgment was being handed down.
The injunction gives Rhymes the opportunity to challenge the decision by immigration authorities to deny his entry and paved the way for him to perform at tonight's Orange RockCorps gig at the Royal Albert Hall - a free concert for 5,000 charity volunteers which he is headlining. The gig starts at 7pm.
Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith Jr, was kept in a small room with five armed police officers after being stopped by immigration officials when he arrived at the airport at 7.26am yesterday. The UK authorities wanted to fly him back to Amsterdam two hours later, citing "unresolved convictions" in America, but at 8.58am his legal team secured an injunction preventing him from getting on the flight.
In March, Smith, 36, was given three years' probation in New York for assaulting his former driver and a fan who had allegedly spat on his car, in separate incidents. He was ordered to do 10 days' community service, pay a $1,250 (£675) fine plus costs and enrol in an anti-drink-driving programme.
The judge at Manhattan criminal court warned Smith, whose hits include Woo Hah! Got You All in Check, Fire it Up and Everything Remains Raw: "If you mess up, you're going to jail. I've given you a chance."
In the wake of Smith's detention, Orange RockCorps said Ludacris, a fellow American hip-hop star and a friend of Rhymes, was added to the bill to perform alongside the Automatic, Guillemots, Lethal Bizzle, John Legend and Feeder in front of concert-goers who had earned their tickets by volunteering for four hours at community charity projects over the summer.
A spokeswoman said Smith had been told he did not have permission to work in the UK due to what she described as his "minor" criminal record. But he had a valid work permit for tonight's show.
