UK couple fined £1,500 after reporting Channel stowaway found in motorhome
UK couple fined £1,500 after reporting Channel stowaway found in motorhome
Adrian and Joanne Fenton had called the police when they discovered the boy hiding inside a bike-rack cover
The lesson is.. dont report it
Yeah if there is no proof that you transported the kid, why report it. Its not like he did it on accident, just pretend you didnt see anything.
Anyway the point is he didn't come in on a small boat, and it's the small boats that are apparently the problem. So this kid is fine.
Reminds me of an old news story where a guy found a gun on the street, picked it up, went straight to the police station and handed it in. Was fined thousands for "possession of an illegal firearm". The law was pretty cut and dry... there's literally no exemptions for having an illegal gun on your person. But still struck me as shockingly unfair
I read this as the Home Office sending a message to people like this couple. They almost certainly know it's unfair and they may even lose on appeal but they have successfully highlighted the importance for people who travel into the UK to be bloody careful in checking their vehicles (including exterior bicycle bags, if the couple's claims are true). The downside is that should someone sneak onto a vehicle successfully from now on the chance of them not being reported has risen a bit. There's also a point to be made I think about the media latching onto this story because they love anything controversial to do with immigration. The other thing I wonder about is the life that boy must have led to get him to a point where he would do such a bold and dangerous thing. Brings home what a cushy life I had when I was 16.
Clearly what should have happened is that the stowaways should be granted asylum and the motorhome couple should be paid £1000s for their services in helping these desperate people to the UK. /s