<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by KenF:
Erm, as a Brit, one thing really concerns me about this story:
How did they know??
There is legislation on the UK to protect ex-offenders from being unfairly discriminated against, it basically allows any UK citizen to answer "no" to questions like "Have you ever been convicted of an offence...." if the offence is considered "spent".
So, assuming the brother wasn't daft enough to actually tell US immigration that he had a spent conviction, how on earth would they find out?
If the UK police are sharing this information with US authorities, not only are they breaking the law themselves, but the civil liberties implications are staggering!
The sad fact is that with "on-the-spot" fines, elimination of the right to trial by jury, and the general shift towards "zero-tolerance" at the cost of "common sense", it's pretty easy to end up with a criminal record in this country, through relatively little fault of your own. If this then stops you from travelling for the rest of your life, it's hardly a punishment fit for the crime. Thats, why we have privacy legislation!
Sad though it be to say it, I think it's time for some "tit-for-tat" legislation on this side of the pond. Fingerprints, photos and a full mugsheet for US visitors 
Ken.
"Alliance - the state that exists between two states when they realise that they have their hands wedged so firmly in each others pockets, that they cannot seperately plunder a third" - Ambrose Bierce - The Devils Dictionary.</font>
Cheers. I don't blame you and again I am embarrassed for something so terrible. I just did a Priceline for London Heathrow so I will be there soon, would rather not be treated like dirt when I arrive, cheers, especially after coming out of Israel where I am really going to have to bite my tongue at security...
Please separate our Gov't from the people. I know some people who have been very anti-Gov't which I could never understand(perhaps til now).
Anyway, no, if you did this to all the Yanks coming off flights at Heathrow and Gatwick it would be a mess, many of us with British ancestry so that would hurt even more.
If you did this officially to our Gov't I have no problem.
Yes, we are allies and we need to always be allies, no matter what. I think our alliance keeps the French and Germans in check, LOL.
Cheers mate