AN ASYLUM seeker who left a 12-year-old Blackburn girl dying under the wheels of his car has won the right to stay in this country.

Aso Mohammed Ibrahim's victory has outraged Amy Houston's father Paul, who had been fighting for the Iraqi national's deportation since his daughter's death in 2003.

And the judge's decision yesterday has also left officials at the UK Border Agency stunned.

They had been trying to send Ibrahim back to Iraq and said they were 'extremely disappointed' to have failed.

Justice Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw said he would take to case to Home Secretary Alan Johnson in a bid to force an appeal.

Ibrahim was yesterday told by a judge in Manchester that he would be allowed to stay in England permanently, six years and one month after Amy's death.

Mr Houston, of Argyle Street, Darwen, said he was 'raging' that a judge had allowed him to stay.

He said: “They may as well give passports out in lucky bags because that’s all they’re worth.

“I can’t believe the decision the judge has come to. Is he on a different planet?

“I’ve had Greg Pope back me, as well as Janet Anderson and Jack Straw.

"All these MPs and what good does it do?

“I’ve been taken for a mug because I’m a little man, a working class man, and it doesn’t matter to them."

Mr Houston vowed to continue the fight to have Ibrahim deported.

He said: "What a Christmas present for him and what a terrible one for my family.

"Well, I hope he doesn’t celebrate too soon because this is not the end.

"I could sit here and think, 'well, Amy’s dead, she isn’t going to come back', but I won’t.

“I will fight this for the rest of my life until he leaves the country."

Amy ran into the road in Newfield Drive, Highercroft, Blackburn, and was struck by Ibrahim's car.

He ran off, leaving her under the car.

Ibrahim was jailed for four months for driving while disqualified and failing to stop after an accident.

At the time of the crash he had no licence or insurance and was said to have exhausted all means of appeal to stay in this country, but could not be deported because Iraq was unsafe.

In 2006, he appeared before court again for driving while disqualfied.

Fourteen months ago he was taken to a deportation centre and UK Border Agency officials vowed they would try to remove him from the country 'at the earliest possible opportunity'.”

He was later released on bail and launched an appeal against deportation on grounds that he had married and had two children in England.

Mr Straw said he found the judge's decision 'very disappointing'.

He said: “I will be speaking to the Home Secretary to see if there’s any way we can appeal against this decision, and I will also be talking to the family.

"They have been through an awful time.”

Jo Liddy, regional director of the UK Border Agency in the North West, Jo Liddy, added their 'extreme disappointment'.

She said: "We have made it clear that we will prioritise the removal of those foreign nationals who present the most risk of harm to the public."