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2mo ago

UK Couple Fined £1,500 After Reporting Migrant Found on Their Motorhome

The Home Office imposed the fine for failing to check for stowaways, despite the couple alerting authorities upon discovering the individual.

Migrants run across the A 16 motorway in an attempt to climb into the back of lorries bound for Britain while traffic is stopped upon waiting to board shuttles at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel site in Calais, northern France, on December 10, 2020. - The French port of Calais continues to attract migrants from the Middle East and Africa who set up makeshift camps while waiting to attempt to stow away on trucks heading across the Channel to England, with some attempting the crossing by boat. (Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP) (Photo by DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Adrian and Joanne Fenton discovered a 16-year-old Sudanese boy hidden in the bike rack of their motorhome after returning to Essex from France in October 2024.
  • The couple immediately called the police, but the Home Office later fined them £1,500 for not inspecting their vehicle for concealed individuals before crossing the Channel.
  • The Fentons argued that the boy was clinging to the outside of the vehicle, not inside it, and criticized the fine as punitive despite their responsible actions.
  • Their local MP, John Whittingdale, has called for the fine to be withdrawn, stating it could deter others from reporting similar incidents to authorities.
  • The Home Office defended the fine, citing regulations introduced in 2023 aimed at preventing unauthorized entry, but emphasized targeting negligence rather than criminality.