A British family moving back to the UK from Switzerland were stunned to find three suspected illegal immigrants hiding in their removal van.
Expat David Dooley, 54, was relocating to his home city of Southampton with his wife, Sarah, 53, after 16 years in Geneva.
They completed an 18-hour trip accompanied by a removal van and travelled across France, through Calais, and then into the UK on the Eurotunnel.
The married couple and the moving van made it to their new home where they met their daughter, Emma, who has been working there for the past five months.
To the family’s shock, when one of the movers opened the back of the van to begin unloading, three suspected Vietnamese illegal immigrants were found hiding on top of their furniture.
Police were called to their new home and arrested the two women and man.
A British family moving back to the UK from Switzerland were stunned to find three suspected illegal immigrants hiding in their removal van
Expat David Dooley (left, with his daughter, Emma), 54, was relocating to his home city of Southampton with his wife, Sarah, 53, after 16 years in Geneva
Police were called to their new home and arrested the two women and man
Emma, 19, said she and her family were stunned when they found them in the van.
She said: ‘The movers opened the door and there were three people sat there, so they shut it immediately.
‘It was shocking, me and my family couldn’t believe it.
‘The three people were high up in the van – it was really, really packed full of stuff so I have no idea how they stayed up there.
‘They must have climbed up to the top and managed to stay. They were on top of all our stuff like our furniture, our lawnmower, everything really.
‘It really shocked us, you don’t expect to find three people with all your furniture.
‘The whole thing was surprising, I thought ‘these guys weren’t packed with the stuff’, we weren’t anticipating anything like this.’
It’s believed the three Vietnamese nationals got into the van in Calais.
To the family’s shock, when one of the movers opened the back of the van to begin unloading, three suspected Vietnamese illegal immigrants were found hiding on top of their furniture. Pictured from left to right: David Dooley, Jon Bowler, Sarah Dooley, Emma Dooley unloading the van
A British family moving back to the UK from Switzerland were stunned to find three suspected illegal immigrants hiding in their removal van. Pictured is police at the scene
Emma, who has been working as a chef for the last five months, added: ‘We went through Calais and then the Eurotunnel – they think these guys got on at Calais, they think that the lock got picked.
‘The guys driving the van didn’t hear them and the sniffer dogs didn’t find them either.’
Removal man John Butler, 32, said he was ‘shocked’ to discover the two women and one man had climbed into the back of his company’s van and that it was a ‘first’ for him.
He and his colleague Jamie Lewis, 25, called the police after finding them. Officers arrived 15 minutes later and took the trio, who ‘do not speak English’, and detained them in custody.
Mr Dooley, who grew up in Southampton, relocated back to the UK with his family after his contract working in corporate social responsibility for an international firm in Switzerland came to an end.
Removal man John Butler, 32, said he was ‘shocked’ to discover the two women and one man had climbed into the back of his company’s van and that it was a ‘first’ for him
Expat David Dooley, 54, was relocating back to his home city with his wife, Sarah, 53, after 16 years of working in Switzerland
The family, who lived in Geneva, remain sympathetic to the suspected illegal immigrants’ plight. Emma said: ‘It was a shock to us but when you think about it it’s sad for them really.’
Mr Dooley said: ‘From a humane perspective I think it’s so sad that people have to resort to this.
‘For people to put themselves through this you have to feel for them.’
A spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘We were called at 11.21am after three people were found in a lorry in Southampton. Two females and one male have been detained’
And his wife added: ‘My friends won’t believe this. This is the third bad thing that’s happened to me in six months.
‘I broke my back after falling down a hill and then was hit by a tram in Geneva, breaking five ribs, and now this.’
A spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘We were called at 11.21am after three people were found in a lorry in Southampton.
‘Two females and one male have been detained.’
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