Woman who was fined £3k for accidentally smuggling a migrant into UK gives one piece of advice - 'Don't do what we did!'
GB News
A television antiques dealer and her husband have been fined £3,000 after reporting a migrant they discovered hiding in their van upon returning to the UK from France
A woman who was fined £3,000 for accidentally smuggling a migrant into UK has given one piece of advice to people who find themselves in a similar situation.
Speaking to GB News, Jane Cave advised: "If this happens to you I would say don't call the police, just drop them off in a layby."
Recalling the shocking story to Patrick Christys, Cave said: " We went on the Eurotunnel. We got checked by customs, border control, and then we got to Barton Mills.
"The migrant tapped like three times on the van. We thought, oh, please, there's not a migrant. It's a migrant."
Jane Cave and her husband were slapped with a £3,000 fine
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She explained: "It is terrifying. He was quite young, under 18 anyway.
"He wouldn't say if he was a boy or a girl, I said ring the police. So I rang them.
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"We met at a supermarket just past there, somebody was there for us.
"The migrant got caught by the police and taken to a house, which I'm not allowed to say the name of.
"Then I got interrogated for two hours. The guy checked the van. Nobody else in there."
She was then fined £3,000 after being held for two hours and they are paying off via their business at £100 a month.
Jane Cave described it as "terrifying"
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Giving one piece of advice, she said: "If this happens to you I would say don't call the police, just drop them off in a layby."
Gobsmacked by the tale, Patrick said: "This must be happening quite a lot to to other people. You've just highlighted it."
A Home Office spokesperson explained: "The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme aims to ensure drivers are taking every reasonable step to deter irregular migration and disrupt people smugglers."
Patrick Christys was left stunned by the tale
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The couple argue they took all possible precautions and feel unfairly penalised for their honesty.
Despite their ordeal, the Home Office maintains its stance.
A spokesperson told the BBC: "We do not issue clandestine entrant civil penalty fines without sufficient evidence."