Shpresim Koka arrived in the UK in 2001 at the age of 14, after claiming to be a refugee from Kosovo
An Albanian migrant with a slew of convictions for drug-related offences has temporarily avoided deportation from Britain as his daughter "wets the bed".
An immigration tribunal ruled that removing him would have an "unduly harsh" impact on his young daughter, though the case is now set to be reconsidered.
Shpresim Koka, 38, successfully appealed against deportation after the First-tier Tribunal concluded his daughter would suffer, after it was found she experienced nightmares and persistent bedwetting.
The tribunal found the child's condition worsened during periods when her father was imprisoned and the pair were separated.
Evidence presented during the hearing included a social worker's assessment of the child, citing the requirement for therapeutic intervention to address her emotional and psychological symptoms.
The court found that deporting Koka would bring consequences for the girl, passing a legal threshold considered in immigration appeals regarding the welfare of children.
The Home Office has challenged the tribunal's decision and a fresh hearing has been ordered - leaving the case unresolved.
Koka arrived in the UK in 2001 at the age of 14, after claiming to be a refugee from Kosovo.
In 2017, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in laundering money linked to a drug trafficking operation.
The National Crime Agency arrested him after he was found handing over more than £300,000 in cash in Park Royal, west London.
Following that conviction, Koka was expected to face deportation after completing his prison sentence - but instead remained in the UK.
In 2022, he received a further prison sentence of three years after being convicted of cocaine dealing.
Following that conviction, the Home Office once again sought to deport him, prompting the appeal that led to the tribunal's ruling.
The case has attracted criticism from campaigners, who argue that foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes should be removed from the UK after serving their sentences.
Robert Bates, of the Centre for Migration Control, criticised the tribunal's original decision, arguing that Koka should not be allowed to remain in Britain with a history of criminal convictions.
He also suggested that Koka's daughter could relocate with him to Albania if deportation were to proceed.
The case is just one of many amid the ongoing legal tension between the Government's efforts to deport foreign offenders, and the obligations placed on courts to consider the welfare and best interests of children who may be affected.
Under UK immigration law, tribunals may halt deportation in exceptional circumstances, where removal would have an unduly harsh impact on a qualifying child or family member.
With the Home Office's appeal now underway, a new hearing will determine whether Koka can remain in the UK, or whether the deportation order should be upheld.
