A senior immigration judge has turned down an appeal from the UK Border Agency to try and ban US rapper Snoop Dogg from entering the United Kingdom.

Judge George Warr said that “no material error of law” had been made at an earlier hearing which stated that the ban should be lifted.

The rapper, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, was denied entry to the UK in March 2007 just days before he was due to go on tour with fellow rapper P. Diddy.

The rapper’s presence was deemed by the Home Office to be not conducive to the greater public good following an altercation between his entourage and police at Heathrow Airport in 2006.

At the original asylum immigration tribunal in January, it emerged that the rapper had complied with Metropolitan Police during the incident, contrary to the reports in a number of newspapers.

Following yesterday’s hearing, Phillip Trott, the rapper’s lawyer, told the Guardian that the case had “been an appalling waste of public money”.

“It is outrageous that the UK government is trying to exclude someone who is an innocent figure and has frequently spoken against gang culture and youths carrying guns.”

The UK border agency has until next Wednesday to appeal against the decision.

(by Jason Gregory)