A convicted Romanian gangster running a children’s fight club in London has dodged extradition after a British judge ruled sending him back would breach his right to family life.
Preda Fight Club Boss to Stay in UK
Adrian Preda, 44, will remain in north west London, where he runs the “Preda Fight Club” gym in Kingsbury. District Judge Kevin Grego ruled that extraditing Preda would place an “unacceptable burden” on his wife and their three young children, aged 12, 9, and 8.
“There is no option other than her returning to Romania with the children if he is extradited,” the judge quoted Preda’s wife, who fears losing their UK home and family’s ability to visit Preda regularly.
Long Criminal Record and Failed Extraditions
- Romania issued a fresh European Arrest Warrant in 2024 for Preda to serve multiple sentences.
- Convictions include attempted murders, attacking police during a night club brawl, and gang involvement with the notorious Sportivii crime network.
- The gang is linked to £2 million heroin trafficking, arms theft from a Romanian army base, and street shootings in Bucharest.
- Despite a nine-year sentence, Preda fled to London after being released on bail pending appeal.
This marks the second time UK courts have blocked Romania’s extradition attempts. The first was in 2018, when overcrowded Romanian jails were cited as a human rights risk.
UK Law and Political Uproar
Judge Grego acknowledged Romania has improved its prison conditions. However, family life rights tipped the scales in Preda’s favour. His lawyers argued that extradition would disproportionately interfere with his Article 8 rights to private and family life.
Preda insists he was targeted due to corruption claims and claims to live a crime-free life in the UK. Social media shows him training kids and adults in mixed martial arts at his gym. He once fought controversial influencer Tristan Tate in a cage match.
Political Backlash
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed the ruling as a “disgrace.”
“Because of the ECHR, we cannot deport a dangerous foreign national offender wanted for violent crimes,” Philp said. “He should not be in our country.”
He vowed that a future Conservative government would ditch the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to boost deportations to 150,000 a year, deporting every foreign national offender and illegal immigrant.
Former Tory MP Tim Loughton also criticised the decision.
“What planet are our judges on? This criminal should not be roaming UK streets while ignoring Romanian justice,” he said. “Family inconvenience is no excuse to avoid jail.”
Fight Club Continues Amid Legal Battles
For now, Preda stays in the UK, running his fight club and raising his family while legal wrangling over his sentences drags on. Romanian authorities remain frustrated as British courts use human rights laws to block his extradition.
