A FAMILY who returned home after a holiday in Spain to find a migrant hiding in their roof box has reportedly been fined.
Toby and Rhiannon Reynolds are said to have driven hundreds of miles with the stowaway on the roof of their car.
During the long trip, the couple heard tapping noises, but they thought it was bottles of wine slamming, according to the BBC.
It was only when they arrived home in Wadhurst that they discovered that a man from Sudan had joined them for the trip.
The couple were shocked when they found the man, identified only as Isa, and called the police “loudly” from inside the car.
Ms Reynolds told the broadcaster: “We had no idea who was in there and what his intentions were, you know, if he was armed.
“It was terrifying.”
They later found out that they had lost thousands of pounds of clothing and toiletries that were originally in the roof box.
On top of that, the couple were fined £ 200 from the Home Office for the offense of “bringing a person underground” into the country.
The Home Office defended the move, saying information is available online for those traveling to and from Europe by road.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “We provide advice to anyone traveling across the Channel on what to do to secure their vehicle to prevent illegal entry.
“It is right that people are fined if they do not follow these preventative measures.”
The BBC did not report what happened to Isa after arriving in East Sussex.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-20 14:16:13
