A gangster who launched two challenges against the Home Office's attempts to deport him has been jailed for life after committing two murders.

Jason Furtado, 28, twice frustrated the Government's efforts to send him to his country of citizenship, Portugal, in 2016 and 2022.

Then in June 2023, Furtado joined four other men in a violent gang crime in Archway, north London - for which he has now been jailed.

The men, wearing face coverings and armed with machetes, attacked onlookers Leonardo Reid, 15, Klevi Shekaj, 23, and Abdulla Abdullahi, 28.

Jason Furtado, 28, twice frustrated the Government's efforts to send him to his country of citizenship, Portugal

Mr Reed and Mr Shekaj were killed after being mercilessly stabbed by the gang of men, with Mr Abdullah surviving the ordeal.

The five men, including Furtado, had more than 70 convictions between them.

The 28-year-old killer was born in Britain to asylum seeker parents and had nine prior convictions for 27 offences before carrying out the murders.

After the Home Office first attempted to deport him to Portugal around nine years ago, Furtado successfully frustrated the process by launching an appeal.

PICTURED: Mr Reed (left) and Mr Shekaj (right) were killed after being mercilessly stabbed by the gang of men

The future murderer launched a second appeal just over a year before carrying out the killings, but this was dismissed.

After serving time in prison for theft offences, he was released on immigration bail by the Home Office in November 2022 on the condition that his movements were monitored electronically.

Furtado was equipped with a GPS tracking device at the time of the June 2023 murders.

The sentencing judge described the behaviour of the group of five men convicted over Mr Reed and Mr Shekaj's deaths as “appalling”.

The murderous gang frequently launched outbursts in the courtroom, displayed destructive behaviour in their holding cells and had fought while in the docks, the judge noted.

Jason Furtado was released on immigration bail by the Home Office in November 2022

Mr Shekaj’s mother, Valbona, told The Times that it was "heartbreaking and frustrating" that men with such prolific criminal histories were allowed to walk freely on Britain's streets.

The victim's mother said: “Serious system failures allowed dangerous individuals to remain free, and this ultimately cost Klevi his life."

She described her 23-year-old son as “caring, kind and deeply loved” and added that she hoped that "his memory inspires conversations about justice, preventing violence, and protecting innocent lives".

During Furtado's second unsuccessful appeal against the Home Office's attempts to deport him to Portugal, Judge Susan Virginia Pitt read out his offender assessment report.

She told the court: "He was frequently in fights at school and that there were reports of him bullying female students.

“There was no evidence that he obtained any qualifications whilst in education.

"He has provided no evidence of ever having been in paid employment.

“Thereafter, the evidence indicated that the dominant feature in his life was his association with gangs and criminality.”