A CATALOGUE of errors in his home country allowed a violent wanted man to move from Poland to the UK, where he raped a suicidal teenage girl in Colchester.

Slawomir Blasiak was out on licence in Poland after serving time in jail for armed robbery.

He fled the country, where he was wanted to stand trial for a second robbery.

The Polish authorities failed to notify Interpol or issue a European Arrest Warrant.

As Britain has retained its border controls, unlike most other EU countries, it is not part of a European information-sharing agreement, where his violent past could have been flagged up.

The Home Office says the UK does intend to join the Schengen system, but only when a new version of it, including using biometric data such as fingerprints, is introduced later this year.

It means, at present, the UK does not receive alerts on people, including those with forthcoming court appearances, shared by the agreement.

Essex Assistant Chief Constable Derek Benson, who oversees detections of major crime in he county, said safeguards should have been in place to prevent Blasiak entering the UK.

He added: “In an ideal world, he should not have been allowed in. We all value freedom of movement between countries, but that should only be for those who deserve it.

“This individual should clearly have been incarcerated in Poland for a very long time, and if those systems had been in place, he wouldn’t have been allowed out.

“As unpalatable as it might sound to some people, it needs to be done.

“It is about information sharing and information exchange.

“People who are wanted shouldn’t be able to wander across borders.

“It may be seen as a restriction of freedom, but freedom is a responsibility, not a right.”

Ellen Miller, a spokesman for the Home Office, said: “We are intending to join the Schengen Information System II, which will allow us to gain access to biometric information that can be put on the Police National Computer and UK Border Agency watch list.”

About the rape, she added: “This was an appalling crime. We will take steps to deport any European Economic Area national sentenced to more than two years in prison.

“The UK Border Agency uses international watch lists and the latest technology to refuse entry to foreign nationals known to present a threat to the UK. We are continuing to expand our watch lists by working with other governments to share more information on criminals.”