Immigration judges have ruled that a lesbian from Jamaica can stay in the UK because she risks
persecution her homeland.
The woman, who cannot be identified, was originally refused residency by the Home Office.
At her appeal, which took place in London, she asked to stay on the basis she was "out" and could no longer conceal her sexuality.
According to the BBC, she told the tribunal that while in Jamaica a group of men had threatened to "convert" her - implying they would rape her.
So-called corrective rape is a common problem both there and in similar countries.
The woman, who is now based in the Midlands, also claimed she suffered clinical depression as a result of her home country's lacking tolerance towards gays and lesbians.
Her lawyers argued that if she returned to Jamaica she would
be living as a single woman with no "heterosexual narrative" – and would
therefore be exposed to continued risk.
Allowing her appeal, senior immigration Judges Gleeson and
Spencer said that any return to discreet living would be because of her
fear of persecution rather than "by reason of social pressures".
