A convicted sex attacker was among a group of seven Nigerians who were deported from Dublin in a joint operation with the French, Spanish and British

The attacker, who had served two jail sentences for assault, was one of over 40 Nigerians due for deportation. Seven of those were arrested by detectives from the Garda National Immigration Bureau. However, a series of "no shows", a spate of last-minute injunctions granted by the High Court and asylum claims by children, reduced the overall number to seven. Gardai are obliged to give advance notice to failed asylum seekers who have exhausted the appeal process and are due for deportation. Many of those about to be deported disappear before the date and most are thought to have headed into Britain. The group, who were accompanied by detectives from the bureau as well as medics, were put on board a chartered flight at Dublin airport and flown to the Nigerian capital, Lagos. The plane also collected another 34 Nigerians elsewhere. The plane set out from Paris to Dublin and then picked up the final batch in Majorca before heading to Lagos. The British group boarded the plane at Dublin. The overall cost of the chartered flight is estimated at €268,000, which is paid by Ireland as the lead nation in this particular operation. However, the authorities here will be able to charge for "seats" for deportees from other countries and expect to recoup at least €70,000. The flight was organised by the special European borders agency, Frontex, which was set up to boost international co-operation among EU member states in tackling organised crime and illegal immigration.

Hat tip, Hibernia Girl!