Doug Beattie challenges deportation failures linked to Ballymena murder case

Murder victim Victor Hamilton, and the scene of the incident in Orkney Drive, Ballymena.

Ulster Unionist justice spokesperson Doug Beattie MC MLA has challenged serious failures in the deportation of foreign national offenders, citing the murder of a Ballymena resident as a stark example of systemic breakdowns within Northern Ireland’s Criminal Justice System.

Speaking about the killing of Victor Hamilton in July 2022, Mr Beattie said the case exposed “yet another failing” in the way criminal justice agencies coordinate with the Home Office on deportation under the UK Borders Act 2007.

Mr Hamilton, described as a “quiet, peaceful, and well-loved man”, had only recently moved to Ballymena when he was murdered, a crime that shocked both his family and the local community.

Doug Beattie MC MLA said:

“The murder of Victor Hamilton in July 2022 was devastating for his family. The quiet, peaceful, and well-loved man had only recently moved to Ballymena; his murder left both his family and the local community in shock.”

Four men were charged in connection with the killing. Casemiro Sano Lopez Vaz, a foreign national charged with murder, fled to Portugal and remains at large. Mamadu Djalo, who was initially charged with murder, later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Mr Beattie said that, under Home Office rules, Mr Djalo should be deported to Portugal at the end of his sentence.

Mario Menezes and Michael Hanrahan were each sentenced to two years for withholding information relating to the murder, with half the sentence served in custody and half on licence.

However, Mr Beattie highlighted particular concern over the handling of Mario Menezes, a Portuguese national, who he said should have been automatically deported under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007.

“Mario Menezes, a Portuguese national, having been sentenced to two years for withholding information, should have been automatically deported back to Portugal on completion of his sentence in line with section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007. However, due to time served, Mr Menezes was not returned to prison following sentencing and was released.”

According to Mr Beattie, the failure to detain Mr Menezes for deportation points to a lack of coordination between multiple agencies, including the Home Office, PSNI, Prison Service, Probation Boards, Victims Care Unit and the Department of Justice.

“Nobody, either Home Office representative, PSNI, Prison Service, Probation Boards, Victims Care Unit, or the Department of Justice, seemed to understand that this could be a possible outcome. They did not ensure measures were in place to ensure Mr Menezes was detained for deportation and informed the family of Mr Hamilton what action was being taken.”

He warned that the consequences of this failure are serious, leaving an individual convicted in connection with a murder free to move across jurisdictions.

“We now have an individual, who should have been deported, free to roam Northern Ireland, cross into the Irish Republic, or take a trip to Great Britain, where he can be lost in the system.”

Mr Beattie said responsibility for deportation rests with the Home Office’s Foreign National Offender Returns Command, which is supposed to operate in coordination with local criminal justice agencies.

“The organisation that should have triggered the response to the courts’ ‘time served’ ruling seems to have dropped the ball.”

The Ulster Unionist MLA said the case raises wider concerns about how often deportation requirements may have been missed in other serious cases.

“If we did not adhere to the legislation around sentencing and deportation of an individual charged in a murder case, then how many other times have we missed this important action?”

He also stressed the impact on victims’ families, particularly in Ballymena, where Mr Hamilton had begun a new chapter of his life before his death.

“I have further concerns that yet again the victim’s family have been left in the dark and to pick up the pieces following another failure of our CJS.”

Mr Beattie said he raised the issue directly with the Lady Chief Justice, who acknowledged the problem and identified the Northern Ireland Prison Service as the trigger point for action.

“It is now important that the Justice Minister ensures this failing is not repeated and that the family of Victor Hamilton receive a full apology and an update as to what happened and why.”