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Zagreb (pte029/04.04.2003/12:05) - A top British comic artist has been booted out of Croatia after officials translated "freelance" as "unemployed".
The artist Frazer Irving http://www.frazerirving.com who earns 50,000 pounds a year and has already had at least one major exhibition of his work in the Croatian capital Zagreb said he was stunned by the news.
He said: "I didn't think there would be any problems. I rented an apartment in Zagreb and wanted to live there. I've already informed all my business partners about the new address."
But Irving, whose subtle hues and dynamic brush strokes have made him responsible for some of top British comic 2000AD's most popular stories in recent memory, said he was told he had to go to court to get the visa application approved after he apparently failed to report to police in time.
But at the court after the judge heard he was jobless, he ordered him thrown out of the country.
Speaking from a hotel in Slovenia Irving said: "I have a Croatian girlfriend in Zagreb, so I definitely want to go back. I intend to convince Croatian authorities that such a cruel court decision was unmerited."
The court in Zagreb also fined him 24 pounds for not reporting to the police in time.
He added: "I still want to live in Croatia. I was delighted with the beauty of the country, so I'll do my best to convince the authorities there that I did not intend to break the law.''
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