It would have been the latter that Adrian and Joanne Fenton expected to find when unpacking their camper after a long drive from France.
After arriving at home in Heybridge, Essex, late on October 15, Mr. Fenton started to release their things and started the bikes attached to the back of the vehicle.
But while he opened the lid of the bicycle rack, the retired firefighter was shocked to discover a Sudanese man in the bag, who clung to the camper.
“He leaves the bikes and while he reveals and unlocking the coverage, which is really tight, he sees two trainers and suddenly he thinks he has left” that I have not left any trainers here “and then he sees that two legs have been attached to it,” said Mrs. Fenton.
“He called me then, and I was loose at the front and said,” Joanne should call the police, we have a stock. ”
After the police arrived and the migrant took away, the Fentons were interviewed by officers and thought that this would be the end of the story.
But just over two months later, the pair was left furiously after the home office had issued them with a fine of £ 1500 because they could not check that no clandestine participant was hidden in the camper.
Mrs. Fenton closed the fine as' exceptionally unfair 'and said to the BBC:' I am so angry and it is so frustrating because we have done the right one.
Police officers were called to Heybridge, Essex, after Adrian and Joanne Fenton discovered a migrant in a bicycle rack bag on the back of their camper
Mr Fenton was shocked when he discovered the Sudanese man who clings to the camper from the bag (photo)
The couple (photo) remained furious after the Home Office had published them with a fine of £ 1500 because they did not 'check that no clandestine participant was hidden' in the camper
“We called the police. It is dangerous enough if you drive through France, and you can ask everyone who drives through France and comes to the borders.
“These clandestines are everywhere. So, to stop and go outside and always check your vehicle, is dangerous. How can you do that? It is on a bicycle rack. It's not internal. '
The Fentons said they had 'no idea' how or when the migrant had come in the bicycle cover before they held up to the vehicle for the six -hour ride on the channel and the M25.
The couple, who had traveled with friends in France and returned to the UK via the ferry, said that border officials in Calais and the UK had not recovered when inspecting the vehicle before or after the intersection.
After Mr. Fenton the bag opened open at 10.15 am and discovered the individual, Mrs. Fenton said she offered the young man a bottle of water, on which he said “thank you.”
He only had a mobile phone on him and told officers that he was 16 and from Sudan, Mrs. Fenton said.
Only in the festive period did the pair were contacted via E -Mail via E -Mail with details about the attack and the fine.
In the e -mail they were told that they did not “check that no clandestine participant was hidden in the vehicle.” But Mrs. Fenton wants to challenge this while clinging on the outside instead of on board the camper.
After Mr. Fenton the bag opened at 10.15 am and discovered the individual (depicted on the floor), Mrs. Fenton said that she offered the young man a bottle of water, on which he “thank you” said “
Mrs. Fenton (photo) says she is now drawing up a profession, but fears that her story can prevent people from 'doing the right one' if they are in a similar situation
The e -mail also told them that the 'participant' was found by an authorized search officer, although the couple says they called the police the night they found him.
The fine, which in some cases is as high as £ 10,000, referred to asylum and immigration legislation.
Mrs. Fenton says she is now drawing up a profession that she claims will cost her another £ 150, but feared that their story would prevent people from 'doing the right one' if they are in a similar situation.
She said: 'How safe is it for the daily holiday maker to get out of their vehicle, whether they drag a caravan, whether they are driving a van, whether they are driving a camper. How safe is it for us to keep getting out and checking that they do not grab it. It is impossible. '
'We will appeal, but it sounds like we're not getting anywhere. We will just waste more money and we will eventually have to pay the fine.
'It is the legitimate people like my husband and I who come through and have done the right thing that is being given a fine. Where is the justification in it? '
The home office said that fines were designed to ignore negligence instead of crime, “and emphasized that contacting the authorities is a huge” mitigating factor “in the way people deal.
A spokesperson said: 'Responsible persons who have fully complied with the actions laid down in the regulations of the liability change of the airlines of 2023 will receive a reduced fine. The regulation is designed to target negligence instead of crime.
'We would expect drivers who are actively involved in people who are investigated and prosecuted in the courts. Increased fines, new maximum penalty levels and a new fine for the omission to sufficiently protect a freight vehicle, came into force on 13 February 2023 to prevent dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK. '
