A Romanian national who carried out a string of serious criminal offences can't be deported because he is protected by EU law.

Denis Viscu, 20, arrived in the UK in 2007 with his family and between July 2014 and March 2017 received 14 convictions for 20 offences including robbery and knife possession.

But when the Home Office tried to deport him they were blocked by judges who held that under EU law he had rights to enhanced protection under the EU Citizens' Directive as he had lived in the UK for five years.

During his legal fight to stay in the UK Viscu was further convicted of four more offences, including possession of a knife in a public place, burglary and possession of a Class A drug and was sentenced to a total of 4 ½ years detention in a young offenders institution.

In September 2017, the Home Office tried to deport Viscu because he was a 'persistent offender'.

Government lawyers argued that although Viscu had lived in the United Kingdom since 2007 he was not entitled to enhanced protection under EU law because the time he had spent in custody 'broke the continuity of lawful residence'.

But a judge held that, since Viscu was a juvenile he could not be sentenced to imprisonment and so his residence in the United Kingdom had been 'continuous and uninterrupted' availing him of special EU protection.