THE Prime Minister spoke today of his "great anger" at a tribunal upholding the decision to allow a Blackburn hit-and-run asylum seeker to remain in the UK.

Aso Mohammed Ibrahim, an Iraqi Kurd, left 12-year-old Amy Houston dying under the wheels of his Rover car as she crossed the road in Highercroft in November 2003.

Ibrahim, 33, was disqualified from driving and without insurance and ran away without trying to help Amy.

He had already exhausted all his appeals to stay in the country and served four months in prison for Amy’s death.

Since arriving in the UK in 2001 from Iraq, Ibrahim has been convicted for driving while twice disqualified and uninsured, possession of cannabis, burglary and theft, harassment, damage to property and harassment.

But last December, he successfully appealed his deportation on the grounds that he now has a wife and two children in Blackburn.

Last month a Border Agency challenge to that decision was heard, with the agency arguing that there was insufficient evidence to say Ibrahim was a 'significant' part of his children’s lives.

But yesterday Ibrahim was told he can stay in the UK despite his conviction for driving while disqualified and failing to stop after the accident, which led to the death of Amy.

The two senior immigration judges rejected the appeal after hearing lawyers claimed human rights laws permitted him to remain in the country on the grounds of his right to life and to family life.

The UK Border Agency will now appeal again against the tribunal ruling preventing the deportation, Immigration Minister Damian Green said today.

And David Cameron said he hoped the UK Border Agency would be able successfully to appeal the ruling by the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

Asked about the case at a press conference in Brussels, Mr Cameron said: "My personal response is one of great anger that this is allowed to happen.

"Here we have an Iraqi asylum seeker convicted of an offence that led to the death of a child and yet we are being told that there is no way that this person can be deported to Iraq.

"I think that that is wrong and I very much hope that the UK Border Agency will be able to appeal."

Amy's father Paul, 41, an engineer from Darwen, has conducted a seven-year legal battle to have him deported.

Mr Houston denounced the decision as a "perversity" and said it showed the Human Rights Act worked in favour of criminals over victims.

Mr Cameron said that Iraq should not be seen as a country to which it is too dangerous to deport people.

"Britain has spent billions of pounds and lost many, many very good people - some killed, some wounded - to make Iraq a safer, more stable country," said the Prime Minister.

"We should not be in a position where, having done all these things, we are simply told it is not possible to return a person there."