A VIETNAMESE woman allegedly trafficked into Britain as a child was found by the Home Office to not be at risk of exploitation despite its own staff recommending that she be taken into care at the airport.

Lawyers for the 20-year-old, known only as V, said yesterday the Home Office had “perversely relied on the steps taken to remove [V] from real and immediate risk of harm” to justify its decision that there were no conclusive grounds to believe she was a victim of child trafficking.

Shu Shin Luh, representing V, said the Home Office was using the “protection of the victim from real and immediate risks of exploitation … [as] grounds for denying the victim further protection.”