Wife wins battle to stay in Britain
FORMER Lotto and Road 2 Riches TV presenter Paul Freathy and his wife Gail have been victorious over the UK Home Office and will no longer be deported from Britain.
The couple had fought since earlier this year to stay in the country after Gail’s spousal visa expired and could not be renewed.
She was told to leave the UK and then reapply for a visa‚ but decided to stay put and try to resolve the problem.
Freathy‚ 58‚ who is British born‚ and South African-born Gail then applied for a family permit or leave-to-remain visa. Both were denied.
After initially being told they had just 28 days to leave‚ Gail appealed against the decision against the family visa application.
An ecstatic Gail later received a letter saying her appeal had been successful‚ after they turned to the European Convention on Human Rights for help.
“We are just beside ourselves with joy. We won on human rights grounds. The judge ruled in our favour‚ along with awarding us the costs of the hearing‚” Freathy said.
Fearing the worst‚ the couple were prepared to sell their photographic shop in Devon to fund their battle.
“It is such a relief. We have been able to keep the shop. Thank goodness‚” he said.
The pair left South Africa for Britain in 2013 after a violent robbery at their Johannesburg home.
They invested “every cent” in moving‚ with furniture and pets‚ to start the photographic shop.
The spousal visa‚ according to Freathy‚ was initially not renewed because the Home Office discovered that the business the couple owned was not paying them a full salary.
Freathy said their business made £55 000 (R909 000) profit last year‚ which they put back into the business‚ instead of paying themselves a salary.