The UK's immigration laws were under scrutiny last night after it emerged Jolanta Bledaite's murderer was able to enter Britain despite having killed before. Video
The UK's immigration laws were under scrutiny last night after it emerged that Jolanta Bledaite's murderer was able to get into Britain despite having killed before.
Vitas Plytnykas, 41, was convicted of manslaughter in Germany in 2001 after stabbing a man and throwing him into a river. The Lithuanian was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison but, after his early release, travelled to Scotland. As an EU citizen, he was free to move to any member state despite his conviction.
Following the conviction of Plytnykas yesterday for the murder of Ms Bledaite, there were calls for immigration rules to be tightened.
Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken said: "This is a truly tragic case, where a convicted killer is able to walk into this country with the authorities being completely unaware of his record.
"Had the law been in place whereby the authorities here had known of his past, he could have been barred from entering.
"There needs to be a much greater exchange of information on the part of the police in European countries. The tragic outcome of this case must encourage a much greater degree of co-operation."
Home Office officials could not say whether they were aware of Plytnykas's previous conviction or whether they knew of it but did not regard him as a threat. A spokesman said only that any European economic national sentenced to more than two years in prison would be deported.
The spokesman added: "The UK Border Agency uses international watchlists and the latest technology to refuse entry to foreign nationals known to present a threat to the UK. We are continuing to expand our watchlists by working with other governments to share more information on criminals."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Decisions on who is allowed entry to this country are taken by the UK Border Agency. "
Earlier, at the High Court in Edinburgh, a jury of 10 women and five men took just two hours and 20 minutes to find Plytnykas guilty of five charges, including murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Lord Pentland said Plytnykas had no respect for human decency, citing his role in killing and chopping up Ms Bledaite before dumping her body in the North Sea off Arbroath. He and accomplice Aleksandras Skirda, who had already admitted taking part in the murder, intended to steal her life savings.
Lord Pentland, who called for background reports before sentencing, said: "Jolanta Bledaite must have died in a state of grave terror and distress. It is clear her ordeal at your hands must have lasted a considerable time. This was a truly monstrous and evil crime."
Speaking outside the court, family friend Sue Smith read out a statement on behalf of Ms Bledaite's mother, Ona Lazauskiene, and grandmother, Albina Sapalaite, saying the family was "hoping for a sentence and verdict from Scotland's courts for the cruel murderers so they can get what they deserve".
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