A deaf five-year-old boy will be forced to leave his mother and any hope of an education behind in Southend after Home Office officials decided to deport him.

Zdenek Dzudza, a Czech asylum seeker, was today (Wednesday) finding out when he and his father are to be sent home despite their claims that racist thugs have threatened to murder the family because of their Romany background.

The boy has been in Southend with his father, also named Zdenek, his mother Alena Dzudzova, and two-year-old sister Jesika, since March as they begged to stay in Britain.

Yesterday they received notice from solicitors that the father and son are to be deported. Mr Dzudza is due to meet with them today (Wednesday) to find out what date has been set for their expulsion.

The family fled to England from their home town of Sokolov in the Karlovy Vary region of the Czech Republic eight months ago.

Because of their Romany blood, they claim they were targeted by racist skinheads who Mr Dzudza claims murdered his brother-in-law, mutilated his wife and threatened to douse the whole family in petrol and set them alight if they ever returned.

If young Zdenek goes back to the Czech Republic, his deafness means he will be sent to a school for the mentally ill - despite efforts by Southend Council to land him a place at the special hearing impaired unit at Glebe County Infants School in Creswick Avenue, Rayleigh.

Speaking through a translator, Mrs Dzudzova said: "In the Czech Republic, Romany children are not allowed in normal schools or deaf schools. The only place Zdenek could go would be a school for the mentally ill because we are treated like sub-humans.

"We were so pleased because here he can go to a special school and both he and us could be taught sign language. We would be able to communicate properly with our son for the first time.

"When we took him along to Glebe County Infants School, he smiled the whole time and didn't want to go home. He loved it."

A spokesman for the Home Office said: "All applications for asylum are given careful consideration and if the initial application is turned down by immigration officials, there is always a right to appeal."

Plea rejected - father and son will be deported while mother and daughter can stay

By James Howell

Reporter's e-mail: james.howell@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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