Letter: 'Taking on the work which we no longer want to do'

Many years ago Winchester Visitors Group supported asylum seekers who had arrived in this country and were instantly thrown into prison.

In Winchester prison, I visited a wonderful young man from Cameroon, with only one eye and heavily scarred, who had been left for dead in the road for handing out political leaflets.

He was found and hidden in the hills, where he spent his time taking a computer apart to see how it worked.

When danger approached again, he was put on a plane to England – where he was thrown into jail.

He only spoke French and had no idea where he was. Luckily the WVG managed to set up an asylum claim for him, and I took him to London as quickly as possible to receive his refugee status.

He was then able to find a flat to rent, and start earning his own living – mending computers – rather than costing the country a fortune every day. He married and had two children – a wonderful positive man with whom I am still in touch.

Surely speeding the asylum claims must be an obvious way to save money, and also be a deterrent for people who know they will have no right to claim, and would therefore be returned to their country of origin?

So many essential roles are done by hard-working teams from abroad, taking on the work which we no longer want to do.

Jane Harding,
Brookside Back St,
St Cross,
Winchester

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