Woman guilty of helping migrant lover into britain
A FRENCHWOMAN who helped her Iranian lover sneak into Britain by boat was found guilty yesterday of illegally assisting migrants but spared punishment after claiming she acted out of love.
Beatrice Huret, 44, said she was “relieved” by the ruling of a court near Calais, where she met her boyfriend while volunteering at the infamous “Jungle” camp.
Ms Huret, a former supporter of the far-right Front National, had faced 10 years in jail if convicted of helping the immigrant – known only as Mokhtar – slip out of France under cover of night, on a rickety boat.
She is one of several offenders in France to have been charged with illegally assisting migrants in recent months. While none has been imprisoned, a farmer was handed a €3,000 (£2,650) fine.
Arriving at court in Boulogne-sur-mer, she said she hoped the trial would help others “understand what I did and why I did it”.
“I am prepared to give up my life for him. The only thing that would bother me is that I would no longer be able to see Mokhtar if I’m in jail,” said Ms Huret, who has a 19-year-old son.
She became a “Jungle” volunteer and a year later met 37-year-old Mokhtar, who was among a group of Iranians who had sewn their mouths shut in protest over the demolition of part of the camp in March 2016.
“It was love at first sight,” Ms Huret said earlier this month.
She helped Mokhtar acquire a small boat and towed it to a beach from where he and two other Iranians crossed to England last June.
Mokhtar, who is living in Sheffield, has since been granted asylum.
Ms Huret has written a book about their romance, Calais Mon Amour, for which several film-makers are vying to acquire the rights.