A Bradford father has told how he fears he might never see his two-year-old daughter again following a House of Lords ruling which says he cannot remain in this country.

Mohammed Ahmed, 33, of Barkerend, could be deported at any time after the House of Lords rejected his plea to stay in Britain on humanitarian grounds.

But Mr Ahmed's solicitor said the ruling would reduce him to a life of poverty on the streets of his native Bangladesh and is now determined to challenge the decision at the European Court of Human Rights.

Speaking through an interpreter at his home on Burnsall Road, Mr Ahmed said: "I was very shocked to hear the decision and am now very fearful for the future of my wife and child.

"If I had to go back to Bangladesh, I may never see my family again - conditions are very poor there and I could be reduced to life on the streets with no prospect of returning to Britain.

"I'm heartbroken at the thought of having to leave my wife and child - how will they cope without me to support them?

"I have a house and a job here - why can't I stay?"

Mr Ahmed entered Britain in 1990 on a false passport after fleeing a life of poverty in Bangladesh. He married UK citizen Jahirun Ahmed, 24, in 1995, has a two-year-old daughter, Anise, and has a full-time job in a restaurant in Knaresborough.

Mr Ahmed's solicitor Hussain Saddiq, based in Manchester, said that Mr Ahmed's situation was a leading test case because it highlighted certain legal technicalities.

Mr Saddiq said: "The normal procedure is that if someone comes to Britain and gets married, they then have to go back to their country of origin and apply for re-entry.

"In Mr Ahmed's case, if he did go back, he would be living a life of poverty and therefore would not satisfy the criteria of re-entry.

"His deportation would cause considerable disruption to his family life and constitutes a breach to the European Convention of Human Rights.

"The British Government has said it will abide by this convention and prescribe it into UK law, which may happen over the next few months.

"So, if this case had come up three months later in the year, Mr Ahmed would probably been allowed to stay.

"We will take this case to the European Court if necessary."

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