A convicted sex offender was yesterday given court permission to apply for a judicial review of a deportation order.

Brittonie Taylor, who served eight years for a serious sex assault, appeared in the Supreme Court to fight an order to send him back to his homeland of Jamaica.

Puisne Judge Larry Mussenden highlighted the need for fairness as he granted the 40-year-old leave to apply for a judicial review.

The Royal Gazette was denied permission to attend the hearing.

But Victoria Greening, who appeared for Taylor, said later it was agreed the case would be dealt with on an expedited basis and that the hearing could be heard next month.

Taylor’s civil suit asked for unspecified damages for what he claimed was “unlawful and unfair” detention since March 28.

Taylor was sentenced to 16 years in jail in 2012 after he pleaded guilty to a sex attack on a woman at a bus stop on South Road in Smith's a year earlier.

He admitted that he carried his victim to an isolated area and forced her to perform a sex act on him.

Taylor also attempted to rape the woman, but she was able to alert a passer-by to the attack.

The sentence was later reduced to 14 years by the Court of Appeal.

Taylor also admitted to twice accosting a woman jogger in Hamilton Parish 35 minutes before the bus stop attack and was sentenced to another year in jail for intruding on her privacy.

He was released from prison last October and was due to be flown back to Jamaica on March 29.

But Magistrates’ Court heard last month that he was arrested the day before for an alleged failure to attend a preflight Covid-19 test and breach of an order to quarantine.

The court was told he made threatening comments while he was being taken to Westgate prison after his arrest and said he would “take the whole plane down” if he was deported.

An immigration official said airline he was scheduled to fly with would have to be alerted and it was unlikely they would agree to let Taylor on board.

Senior magistrate Juan Wolffe ruled that Taylor should be detained in Westgate.

Ms Greening filed a writ of habeas corpus on behalf Taylor earlier this month and claimed his arrest and detention was unlawful.

Mr Justice Mussenden ruled last week that Taylor’s detention was lawful.

But he added that a deportation by private jet – scheduled to lift off last Friday – should not go ahead until the legal action was settled.

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