ROUGH JUST
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The family of "Supergun" truck driver Paul Ashwell have spoken exclusively to CM about their ordeal and their battle to keep their haulage firm afloat.
• Paul Ashwell was looking forward to his trip to Turkey. With his brother-in-law and father-in-law he had been subcontracting for Bedford-based heavy haulage specialist Michael Cave for just six months. Although they had been to most West European countries, this was to be their first job to Turkey and Ashwell was keen to get the experience.
The load was much like the other abnormal consignments they had been carrying. The 35-tonne steel tube — one of two destined for Iraq — was to be picked up from Forgemasters at Sheffield and delivered to eastern Turkey. Cave told Ashwell the round journey would take three weeks. In fact, after what seemed at first to be a mix-up over paperwork, he ended up in a Greek jail, accused of importing part of a giant "Supergun" and facing a long prison sentence.
The case sparked a row between the Greek and UK prime ministers, with a police investigation to find out if a British manufacturer knowingly built the weapon. It also highlighted to hauliers the injustice of a system which could hold a lorry driver responsible for a load he had nothing to do with.
But for Ashwell's family, the biggest worry, next to bringing him home safe of course, has been keeping their Milton Keynes-based firm alive. Ashwell owns Ben Haulage jointly with his father-inlaw, Mike Hall. They had wanted to concentrate on international heavy haulage with their two Leyland Daf 95 tractive units, and the business with Cave had given them a foothold.
IMPRISONMENT
But since Ashwell's imprisonment, Michael Cave has gone into liquidation owing Ben Haulage at least 28,000, the family claims. With Ashwell's truck impounded, the other unit, driven by brother-in-law Andrew Hall, had been pulling soley for Cave. The firm faces the prospect of having no customers while still owing 250,000 to a finance company for its trucks. The family estimates that the bill for Paul's lawyers and telephone calls alone will also run to thousands of pounds.
"People think 'they' will pay for everything," Ashy,Pell's mother-inlaw Margaret Hall told Commercial Motor in an exclusive interview last week. 'They' are newspapers, embassies, governments, insurance companies and the manufacturer of the load. But, although the Mirror did fund a trip by Ashwell's wife and son to Greece, and his £19,000 bail, the family will have to find most of the money itself.
"Because it was a government impoundment, our insurance isn't valid, even though we pay colossal premiums," says Margaret Hall. The British Government will not foot the bill either, even though its Greek embassy has been a lot of help. "They have found us lawyers, but we'll have to pay for them in the end," she says.
The family is considering action against all or some of Sheffield Forgernasters, Davies Turner, the freight forwarder which contracted Cave; and Michael Cave itself. It also hopes to exploit the newspaper attention. Family friend Peter Goff, a former truck driver, has handled most of the press's questions and set up a group to raise funds for the family. When we visited the family he had just given an interview to ITN news and has tried to keep the story alive by sending press releases to local radio and 'FV stations and newspapers. He also negotiated with several tabloids for the best offer to take Jackie Ashwell to Greece. The Ashwells and the Halls are "ordinary working people in the middle of an international political storm", but they have learned to make the most of the scheming which goes on between the tabloids for a story (the Mirror is suing the Sun for allegedly superimposing a Sun logo on Ashwell's tee shirt in the photos of his release on bail).
DOORSTEP
But it has not been easy. Reporters have camped on the doorstep of Ashwell's parents in Northampton. They have even offered neighbours £1,000 for the Hall's ex-directory phone number. Margaret Hall, who learned of Ashwell's arrest with her daughter from the TV, said she has barely slept for six weeks. She has phoned her daughter, Jackie, who is in Greece with Ashwell, every day. "My phone bill will be £3,000," she says.
A company has promised work for Ben's two vehicles after reading about the case and the campaign has raised £1,800. Entertainers have performed for free at a
cabaret at the Truck Haven truck stop in Wolverhampton to raise cash and almost 3,4(X) names have been collected on a petition calling for Ashwell's release at Commercial Motor's Truckfest '90 on the May Bank Holiday weekend.
It is ordinary people who have given the most support, says Margaret Hall. "We've had little old ladies putting their hands in their pockets." Truck drivers were even set to organise a convoy from the MI to Dover to show support. Up to 1,000 wagons were expected to join the procession on 13 May, but it was called off when Ashwell w(m bail. Originally, some drivers had wanted to blockade Dover because they were angry at what they saw as Government inaction in winning his release. Greek drivers were also ready to blockade Patras, but Goff persuaded all of them that breaking the law would not help the campaign.
He admits to treading a fine line between keeping pressure up for Ashwell's release and offending the Greek or UK governments, whose help he has been relying on. The family is not willing to blame anyone. Goff believes, however, that the unity and determination showed by UK truck operators proves they are a lobby to be reckoned with.
"It is important that the industry knows that when we threatened to flex our muscles, the authorities took notice," says Goff who, before the convoy was due to take place, met with police from all the forces between Luton and Dover. He says he was told that chief officers in every constabulary were terrified about the chaos a slow procession would cause.
"The feeling among international drivers is the strongest I have come across," he says. "I have tried many times to get owner-drivers together. This time, because a man has been put in prison, the strength of feeling in Dover has been in Margaret Hall, Andrew Hall and Peter Goff: ordinary people given so much support.
credible." He hopes that one spin-off might be a self-help organisation for international truckers.
Such a group would be able to offer truckers help and advice when they are abroad using a phone line to Britain and a network of contacts.
REFRIGERATED
Ashwell founded Ben Haulage two years ago when he married Jackie Hall. Her father had been in haulage for 25 years, and he and Ashwell set up as partners. The company, named after the Ashwells' son Ben, started off with refrigerated work to Spain but pulled out because of low rates. Andrew Hall had been driving bulk tippers in this country.
They heard that Cave was looking for subcontractors and, as they liked driving abroad, decided to apply.
The family points to aspects of Ashwell's case which, they say, prove he had no knowledge of the shipment. He actually flew back to Britain from Patras at Cave's expense when the problem with the paperwork arose. He returned to Greece after being told by Cave that he would probably have to bring the load back.
Accusing Ashwell of importing armaments because what he was carrying could be made into a gun is as absurd as arresting a tanker driver for transporting explosive nitric acid, says Goff.
"There are millions of tonnes of stuff like that moved around every day. Are you going to charge every driver with having explosives?"
LI by Murdo Morrison