BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, France — A French court convicted a British ex-soldier Thursday of endangerment for trying to spirit a 4-year-old Afghan girl from a squalid migrant camp in Calais to family members in Britain, but dropped a tougher smuggling charge and handed him only a suspended fine.
The conviction appeared to be a symbolic punishment and a victory for Rob Lawrie, who apologized for what he called an “irrational” move. His case epitomized the clash between the heart and the law amid Europe’s record-breaking migrant influx.
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