Immigration authorities have released a 78-year-old alleged British pedophile after investigation showed that he has no criminal record in the country.

Lynch Morris was arrested late last year and jailed at the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility in Taguig City for allegedly molesting a six-year-old girl in Tarlac.

A BI statement on Tuesday said Morris was released after the father of the supposed victim withdrew the criminal charges he filed against the foreigner.

However, a group called Foreigners for Justice has questioned the release, noting that a BI legal staff official “was so disgusted” with the release order.

“These commissioners will hold foreigners for minor overstays for years and not give bail but will release a pedophile within 2 months of his arrest,” the group quoted the unnamed BI officer as saying.

Incident

In its statement, the BI said the father of the victim accused Morris of sexually molesting his child three times in April 2010. This prompted him to file a complaint before the BI.
 
Morris, unaware of the case, was able to freely travel the country. In November last year, he was intercepted by airport operatives at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga after his name was included in the derogatory list.
 
Morris underwent primary inspection prior to his intended trip to Bangkok, Thailand, and was barred from leaving the country, the BI said.
 
Immigration authorities brought Morris to the Taguig detention facility despite his repeated appeal that he did nothing wrong and was not aware of the charged filed against him.

No criminal record
 
In a one-page order, former NBI director Medardo de Lemos confirmed that a check on Morris’ criminal record yielded negative result.
 
The BI’s legal department found that there is no showing that Morris was informed of the complaint against him and therefore was not given a chance to present his reply affidavit.
 
Under the Philippine Immigration law, no alien shall be deported without being informed of the specific grounds for deportation nor without being given a hearing under rules of procedure to be prescribed by the commissioner.
 
“The complaint in the alleged sexual molestation did not pursue the criminal case against Morris despite the lapse of three years from the time the incident happened,” De Lemos explained.
 
The NBI said no evidence was submitted to prove that there was sexual molestation and that the victim refused to undergo medico legal examination to prove the allegations.

GMA News Online inquired to the Sta. Ignacia Police in Tarlac about Morris’ case but the police officers from the investigation and children and women’s division cannot recall the case.

In a separate phone interview, Maan Pedro, BI spokesperson, noted that they cannot detain Morris because they have no proof of any case or complaint against him.

“If we don’t release him, we may violate his human rights,” Pedro said.  — Rouchelle Dinglasan/KBK, GMA News