The US rapper Busta Rhymes last night won a high-court battle to play at a charity concert for thousands of young volunteers, as a judge denied government efforts to gain his deportation.
The judgment came less than two hours before the gig at the Royal Albert Hall was to begin. Rhymes, who has already been allowed entry to the UK twice this year, has a valid work permit for the concert.
Mr Justice Stadlen, at the high court in London, ruled that the singer, whose real name is Trevor Smith, could seek a judicial review challenging the legality of the decision to refuse him entry to the UK.
Rhymes was detained for 11 hours on Thursday at London City airport by immigration officials who cited "unresolved convictions" in the US. But the court heard the decision to have him barred from the UK was based on incorrect information that he had a conviction for "gang assault".
His counsel, Amanda Weston, argued that the basis on which he was refused entry was incorrect as the offences of assault and drink driving of which he had been convicted constituted "misdemeanours" under New York law, not "felonies".
Ruling that an injunction stopping the 36-year-old's removal should stay in place, the judge said he was concerned that if the singer did not perform the 4,000 volunteers who had done charity work and earned a ticket to the Orange RockCorps concert would be disappointed, an outcome that could have an adverse effect on the charity scheme.
