Marek Harcar had 13 criminal convictions and spent time in prison but was still allowed to enter the UK because he did not pose a significant threat to public security.

Marek Harcar had 13 criminal convictions and spent time in prison but was still allowed to enter the UK because he did not pose a significant threat to public security.

Although four of his crimes were of a violent nature most were linked to theft, robbery and housebreaking.

Article 27 of the relevant EU directive states that "previous criminal convictions shall not in themselves constitute grounds" and the UK law which implements the directive backs up this approach.

A spokesman for the UK Border Agency said that it had assisted the police in sharing information it held on Harcar. He added: "We are removing more European criminals. We expect Europeans in the UK to work and contribute to society, obey the law and accept the rules - if they don't they should face fair and firm justice.

"We aim to share information on convictions with other countries and to make sure that their convictions can be taken into account in our courts."

However, one European Law expert in Brussels last night said that clarification was needed on which type of offenders posed a threat to public safety.

Pieter Clepp, head of the Open Europe research group, said: "Freedom of movement is something we should all cherish but that shouldn't mean giving countries a hard time to ban access for convicted criminals.

"European laws are not clear, as they say that convicted criminals have to present a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat' in order to be refused access. This unclarity leaves room for European judges to transfer power away from the UK so that these issues are decided at EU level. This is dangerous because there are no sufficient guarantees."

Harcar's arrest and subsequent extradition back to Scotland could easily have been a time of heightened tension for Glasgow's Eastern European community.

But while the growing Roma community in the south side in particular may have felt more vulnerable, they were quick to distance themselves from what had happened.

Around 5000 eastern Europeans live in the area, between 1500 and 3000 of whom are Roma Gypsies.

Police had prepared for possible backlashes or intimidating behaviour, but any fears of problems arising from the arrest were quelled.

PC Stevie Scott, Govanhill's police community liaison officer, said: "The Roma community are distinct mainly because of their appearance. You could walk past someone who was Polish or Slovakian without realising it, but with the Roma, people tend to stand out.

"They hang about on the street not causing problems - it is just in their culture.

But it could have made them vulnerable or a target for any potential increase in tension.

"We have built up good relations with the Roma community and any we did speak to around the time of the murder were quick to agree that this was a horrible crime and they had no links to this individual at all - they wanted nothing to do with Harcar and were willing to help us."