British ski instructor fined again in French licence row

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/16/british-ski-instructor-fined-france

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A British ski instructor has avoided a jail sentence for working illegally in France but was fined €30,000 (£24,000) by a court in the French Alps.

Simon Butler, who runs a company in the Megève luxury ski resort, said he was disappointed with the sentence and would appeal. The judge in Bonneville found him guilty of working without a licence and said he would be sent to jail if he failed to pay the fine. It was his fifth conviction on the same charge.

The trial hinged on whether Butler should pass a timed high-speed slalom run known as the Eurotest, which was brought in after he qualified in Britain. He has run his skiing company in the Alpine resort for 32 years.

Butler's lawyer, Philippe Planes, argued that under EU freedom of movement laws the ski instructor had the right to work in France with his British licence.

In November Butler appealed against his last sentence, a six-month suspended jail term and a €12,000 fine. He was arrested again three months later with two members of staff.

Butler accuses French authorities of trying to clamp down on foreign instructors by insisting they take the Eurotest. The prosecution had called for the court to impose a one-year jail sentence and a €10,000 fine.