Alex Malcolm: Mother of boy, 5, beaten to death by partner set to fight deportation

Alex Malcolm died after being attacked at a park in Catford
John Dunne @jhdunne3 January 2018
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The mother of a five-year-old boy beaten to death by her boyfriend said today that she would “fight until the bitter end” against deportation.

Ukrainian Liliya Breha, 30, faces being thrown out of the country because she no longer has a dependant in the UK following the death of her British-born son Alex Malcolm in November 2016.

Alex was killed in Mountsfield Park, Catford, by her then partner Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, after probation officials failed to warn her of his history of violence, including an incident where he strangled a child.

Miss Breha has been in London since 2006 and was given leave to remain as the parent of a British child.

But her right to stay expires in July and she must lodge a fresh application or risk being deported. She said: “I’m going to do all I can. Alex’s grave is all I have left and I can’t lose the opportunity to visit him.

Facing deportation: Lilya Breha
PA

“I will fight this with all my energy until the bitter end.

“By law, I have no reason to stay but I hope the Home Office have compassion for the things I’ve been through. But its been a living nightmare.”

Miss Breha expects to lodge a new application next month with support from Mayor Sadiq Khan and Lewisham West MP Ellie Reeves.

Guilty: Marvyn Iheanacho
PA

She is also suing the Ministry of Justice for the “unacceptable failures” that put her and Alex at risk. Iheanacho, a father-of-three, had been banned from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 and ordered to inform the probation service of any new relationships, under the terms of his release from an earlier prison sentence.

Miss Breha found out about his past during the murder trial in Woolwich crown court, where Iheanacho was jailed for a minimum of 18 years.

She said: “The probation service had his history in front of them. They knew about his horrible patterns of behaviour.

“No one warned me and I had no reason to be concerned about him. He betrayed me and Alex.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We are aware of Ms Breha’s case and we will consider any fresh application she makes to remain in the UK.”

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