Not all stories you find in the archives are hundreds of years old. This story is from only 30 years ago so we have changed the names in order to keep those involved anonymous.

In an article for a local Norfolk paper, the Eastern Daily Press, correspondent James Moore wrote a story of enthralling romance. It was the ideal story for publication on 14 February 1995;  Valentine’s Day.

Swanton Morley Airfield, located in Norwich and best known as the site of an RAF station built in 1939-40, served as the backdrop for a quickly conceived scheme.

(explain the scheme- Roger Hart, aged 42, and his friend Daniel Chatten flew to Poland in Chatten’s plane  where they meet Hart’s Russian girlfriend, Ellana, and her 11-year-old son, Oleg before returning to the UK with both Russian nationals under assumed identities as British nationals named Hellen and Peter. However, on arriving in the UK immigration authorities intervened, deporting the mother and son due to improper paperwork.

In the accounts from the court case Hart was accused of trying to bypass perceived bureaucratic hurdles.

In court Chatten claimed that their visit was intended to be a two-week holiday, either the story Hart had given him or the version they corroborated to present to avoid accusations of smuggling. According to Chatten’s legal defence, the original plan was for a holiday in France. However, Hart insisted on travelling to Poland instead, displaying such eagerness that Chatten felt obligated to comply.

Speaking to the press, Chatten described the incident as something done “on the spur of the moment.” As Moore reports, despite his involvement, Chatten expressed approval of immigration authorities’ intervention, seemingly in an effort to distance himself and deflect blame for his role in the scheme amid potential legal repercussions. He reportedly told police that he and Hart had agreed to split the costs of their “holiday,” though it later emerged that Hart had been charged the commercial rate of £1,633.50 for the flight.

The court prosecuted both men for their involvement; pilot Chatten was charged £1000 for assisting illegal entry to the UK and £1000 for carrying passengers without a licence. Hart was fined £500 for his involvement.

However, the story did have a happy ending as reported in the article. Only 2 months after the scheme, the couple married and settled in Lenwade, Norwich. It would be interesting to know if they are still happily married today.

Researched and Written by Jo North