Kosovan serial criminal who judge deemed 'too culturally and socially integrated' in Britain to be deported could still be returned

Published: 12:31 EDT, 29 October 2026 | Updated: 12:35 EDT, 29 October 2026 A drug addicted and homeless serial criminal who was deemed by judges to be too 'culturally and socially integrated' in Britain to be sent back to Kosovo could still be deported.Serial criminal Barbara Osmanovic, 40, who has a ‘terrible’ offending history which included stealing from disabled people, was granted the right to remain in the UK on human rights grounds after a judge accepted she would face difficulties if returned to her native country.The heroin and cocaine addict of Roma heritage arrived in the UK as a child in 2000 with her family and was granted leave to remain in 2006.Her offending began 'almost immediately', an immigration tribunal heard, and she has been convicted 13 times for 29 separate offences.In April 2023, she was jailed for two and a half years in Manchester for theft, fraud, attempted burglary and possession of a knife.The Home Office tried to deport her because of her persistent offending in 2023 but an immigration tribunal declared she should remain in the country and an appeal from the Government was rejected earlier this month.However, the Home Office is determined to appeal the judge’s decision, the Mail has learned.A Home Office source told the Daily Mail: ‘We disagree with the court’s decision and have appealed for permission to overturn it.’ Barbara Osmanovic, 40, has been convicted 13 times for 29 different offences but a judge deemed her too 'culturally and socially integrated' in Britain to be sent back to KosovoThe judge had ruled that deporting the thief would be 'unduly harsh' under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights because she was culturally integrated into the UK and would struggle in Kosovo.But there is no evidence that Osmanovic, who is said to have worked in cleaning roles in Birmingham and Manchester at Poundland, B&M and Manchester City Stadium, some only lasting for a few days, has made a 'positive contribution' to life in the UK, the tribunal was told.She was described as undertaking a 'mean' campaign to steal cash from vulnerable and disabled people.In one instance, she approached a woman in a wheelchair before stealing her purse, a photo of her parents and spending £1,640 on her card.The criminal does not speak Albanian, lacked any meaningful support network and would have difficulty obtaining documentation that would allow her to access healthcare, a tribunal heard.The judge ruled it would be unfair to deport her because she would likely be homeless and as a Roma woman with deformed feet and mental health problems, she was likely to 'face significant difficulties obtaining the documentation necessary to reside lawfully and access healthcare'.They also said it would be 'too soon' to determine if she was no longer a persistent offender and 'despite her criminality and chaotic lifestyle', she is 'socially and culturally integrated into the UK'.The Kosovan did not attend her appeal because she did not have a working phone and her solicitors were unable to contact her.As well as stealing from a disabled woman, she stole a purse from an elderly woman who was shopping at Marks and Spencer's.She also tried to break into another woman's house and on another occasion was found carrying a knife when searched in a car park in a Premier Inn.Her lawyer in 2023 said she had a 'sorry history of offending' and that the 'meanest' offences of theft and fraud were as a result of her reliance on class A drugs.A government spokesperson said: 'We will do everything in our power to remove foreign criminals from British soil. Returns have increased by 52 per cent in the two years up to 30 June 2026.'More than 80,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals have been returned or deported from the UK since the election.'