Chicken takeaway employed asylum seeker who had tuberculosis

Telegraph

15-05-2025

A chicken takeaway shop was found to be employing three asylum seekers, including one who had tuberculosis.
Home Office officials discovered the Indian workers in the kitchen of the Chicken N Beer restaurant in Bournemouth, Dorset.
The trio were being paid as little as £6 an hour by the owner, an official report stated.
When immigration officials raided the premises in February, all three of the workers fled, with two being apprehended.
Of them, a female, was found hiding at the back of the takeaway. She was wearing a work top with her name on.
Checks showed she had entered the UK in 2023 on a student visa, which expired in May 2024, and had since claimed for asylum.
She said she had worked at Chicken N Beer for over a month and did 15 hours a week, earning £7 an hour cash in hand, significantly under the £11.44 minimum wage.
She admitted she had tested positive for tuberculosis (TB) last September and the report said she claimed that Roy Francis, the owner, knew about it.
But she claimed he had only told her to get a test and seemed to allow her to continue working.
TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that most often affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when people with the disease cough, sneeze or spit.
The woman also showed the officials her Application Registration Card (ARC) which clearly stated 'NO WORK'. Her asylum claim is still under consideration.
A male worker, who had been seen prepping vegetables in the kitchen, also ran from of the building when officers arrived.
It was established he had arrived in the UK on a boat in September 2022 but his claim for asylum was withdrawn in February 2024. He never held the right to work in the UK.
When questioned he confirmed he worked three hours a day at £6 an hour cash in hand.
In his interview with immigration officers, the man admitted he had not provided any documents to Mr Francis to confirm he was able to work in the UK – but he still permitted him to work.
Mr Francis allegedly explained that because it takes time and effort to train people only for them just to leave, he doesn't conduct the checks until they are about to be employed.
The case has been revealed in a report presented to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council's licensingcommittee which will decide whether the takeaway can retain its trading licence.
The report stated Chicken N Beer 'posed a serious and considerable risk to public safety' by having an asylum seeker with tuberculosis working there illegally.
The officials found that owner had failed to notify the local health authority about there being a case of TB in the community as required by law.
The report added that while the woman was working Mr Francis failed to take any precautions to prevent the contagious disease that killed 1.25m in the world in 2023 from spreading to his customers.
Following the visit the Home Office Civil Penalties Team issued Mr Francis with a £90,000 penalty.
A statement from the Home Office's immigration enforcement unit said: 'The license holder, Roy Prasnathan Francis, could have protected himself and prevented crime and disorder by completing a straightforward Right to Work check for both individuals.
'One of the persons who was working at the premises was suffering from a notifiable disease. If this worker does have tuberculosis, this poses a serious risk to public safety.'