News

A woman facing imminent deportation to The Gambia has been granted a last-minute reprieve after her legal team at Duncan Lewis Solicitors secured an urgent stay on her removal from the UK.

Despite being a UK resident for 16 years, the 55-year-old was detained for four months by the Home Office, which planned to forcibly remove her.

She was released from detention yesterday, following a successful injunction.

The removal was scheduled for the afternoon of 17 June 2025; just hours after the Home Office formally refused her fresh submissions. Acting swiftly, Jamie Bell, a solicitor in the firm’s Public Law department, lodged an emergency application for judicial review with the Upper Tribunal. In a decision handed down shortly before the scheduled flight, Upper Tribunal Judge Rastogi granted the injunction, halting the removal pending further determination

The judge stated, “the balance of convenience favours the applicant,” noting “credible medical evidence about the applicant not being fit to fly and of a recent deterioration in her mental health.” He added: “I am satisfied there is a real issue to be tried.”

Elleanor Wilkins-Bell, a solicitor at Duncan Lewis, coordinated the preparation of critical supporting material, including urgent medical evidence that described the client’s complex physical and psychological needs. The application was made under intense time pressure, with the Judicial Review bundle submitted less than two hours before the scheduled deportation.

Solicitor Jamie Bell said:

“Our client was in a highly vulnerable state after months in detention. The Home Office’s approach risked causing irreparable harm. The swift action of the court has protected her rights, and we now look forward to arguing her case in full.”

The client’s legal team has raised concerns about her access to treatment in The Gambia, the absence of any support network there, and her deteriorating health while in UK detention. Duncan Lewis argue that removal in these circumstances would amount to a breach of her human rights, particularly under Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The successful application reinforces Duncan Lewis Solicitors’ commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals from unlawful removal and ensuring proper judicial oversight of Home Office decision-making. The case now proceeds to the permission stage of Judicial Review.

About the Instructing Team

Jamie Bell is a solicitor at Duncan Lewis in the public law team recognised as a Recommended Lawyer in the 2025 Legal 500. He has significant expertise in a wide variety of complex and high profile cases and a leader in the field in representing Afghan nationals in the asylum appeal and judicial review claim with great success. He is willing to act under extreme time pressures to ensure that justice is achieved for his clients.

Jamie Bell can be contacted at jamieb@duncanlewis.com or via telephone at 02031141184.

Elleanor Wilkins-Bell is a solicitor at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, based in the City of London office. Working under the direct supervision of Solicitor Jamie Bell and Director Toufique Hossain, she is accredited as a solicitor under the Law Society's Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme.

Eleanor specialises in representing vulnerable clients, including victims of torture, sexual abuse, and trafficking, as well as unaccompanied minors.

Contact via email at ElleanorW@duncanlewis.com or by telephone on 020 7275 2850.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Solicitors, an award-winning law firm, is renowned for its exceptional legal services and commitment to justice. The company employs a team of highly skilled solicitors offering top-tier representation in 25 fields of law, and ranked as top tier by the Chambers and the Legal 500 legal guides, and as one of the top 250 law firms in the country by the Times. Duncan Lewis was crowned Law Firm of the Year at the Modern Law Awards 2023, further establishing its credentials as one of the leading law firms in the UK.