Newport man's shock at airport arrest (From South Wales Argus)

Newport man's shock at airport arrest

1:30pm Tuesday 17th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

A CONVICTED criminal who turned his life around in Australia was shocked to be arrested at Heathrow Airport for a crime he committed in 2006.

Lee Rowland Harrison, 29, was arrested after arriving in the UK from Brisbane on Friday with fiancee Claudia Ramzy.

Immigration officials arrested Harrison on a warrant issued in July 2006, even though he had returned to this country three times without problems.

Harrison, formerly of Alice Crescent, Chepstow, spent the weekend in custody, and appeared at Newport Magistrates yesterday, pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and failing to answer to bail.

He pleaded guilty to driving dangerously in January 1999 and magistrates banned him from driving until he re-sat his test.

Harrison has a number of other convictions and in March 2006, he was caught after a police chase, driving a Land Rover while disqualified in Chepstow.

He was charged, but after he failed to appear in court in July 2006, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Defence Linda Rhead said Harrison’s “head was in the clouds” at the time as he was taking 120 miligrammes of methadone script a day.

He is undergoing a rehabilitation programme in Queensland and his supervisor Doctor David Hunt called it “a phenomenal amount”.

Two of his friends died from injecting heroin and his mother - a successful businesswoman - offered to fund for him to join her in Bracken Ridge, Brisbane.

She paid a £500,000 bond and after police checks, Harrison was put on a methadone programme and granted residency in Australia.

Harrison - who has passed his driving test in Queensland - is due to start the third year of an engineering degree in January and is earning £24,000 a year in a part-time role as a technician in Queensland hospitals.

Miss Rhead said: “He returned three times in the first year to collect his belongings and is extremely anxious to resolve this as he has moved his life on.”

Chairwoman Veronica Crick called it a “very unusual situation”. She added: “I’m sure it came as quite a shock when you landed on Friday to find yourself in this position.”

She took into account Harrison spent two days in custody and fined him £100 for driving while disqualified.

Harrison had travelled home to visit his sick grandmother with fiancée Claudia Ramzy. He is due to stay with his dad in Portskewett until December 1.

Miss Ramzy said yesterday: “I was absolutely shocked. It was ridiculous, what a welcome to the UK.”

• Print
• Email
• Share