Due to travel to Cardiff to pose for photos and answer questions at a Heineken Cup press launch, Saracens told him he had to be at an "important squad meeting" in Munich the same day.
He complied. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the "important squad meeting" was a day-trip to the city's Oktoberfest beer festival.
With the skipper alongside them, the first-team squad made so merry that one of their number failed to make the midnight flight home.
European rugby officials were not amused, however. They fined Saracens £4,250 for instructing Borthwick to snub Heineken Cup matters for the business of sinking steins.
We're trying to be a little bit different, which will always raise eyebrows. Maybe others should look at what we're doing
Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths was unapologetic, and Bavaria drinking music pumped out of the speakers before the team's win over Leicester the following weekend.
"We're trying to be a little bit different, which will always raise eyebrows," he said. "Maybe others should look at what we're doing."
This was the autumn of 2010 and Griffiths had been in his job a little over 18 months, having arrived, along with South African director of rugby Brendan Venter, in a series of sweeping changes.
The suggestion that Saracens should be the template for others did not seem justified by the north London's club history.
True, they had been denied their first Premiership title the previous season only by a dramatic late Dan Hipkiss try. But for many years Sarries had been a middling club, rarely competitive when the going got tough and rarely threatening to win anything.
Eight months after the Oktoberfest jaunt, they won their first Premiership title.
Three years further on and they were within two games of a Heineken Cup and Premiership double, facing Toulon and Northampton on successive Saturdays.
Defeat by the French side on Saturday denied them the first of those, but success in the second remains within their grasp.
Before taking up his role with Saracens, Edward Griffiths was chief executive of the South African Rugby Union. He has been credited with ensuring that the 1995 World Cup-winning Springboks side learned all the verses of the new national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, and coming up with the slogan 'one team, one country'.
The 'cult of Saracens' - as some have dubbed their way of doing things - is certainly taken seriously now with Griffiths as its charismatic, unorthodox high priest.
While most sports administrators are usually caught between the demands of the balance sheet and the score sheet, he describes himself as merely "interested" in the outcome of both finals. And even that sounds like a stretch.
"Too much of sport operates under the tyranny of the result," Griffiths tells BBC Sport.
"The core principle at Saracens is that we gather talented people together, treat them unbelievably well and in return they try unbelievable hard. That is it.
"Everything else - winning or losing matches, winning or losing Cups - are just outcomes. They are not the primary aim.
"We exist to have a positive impact on as many people as possible."
It sounds like the philosophy of a smoothie company or perhaps an idealistic Silicon Valley start-up - not the hard-nosed, shape-up-or-ship-out approach of most high-level sport.
But it works and Saracens pay much more than lip service to the concept of treating their staff "unbelievably well".
Their regular foreign jaunts are an obvious part of the process.
Since 2010 the players have sunned themselves in the Italian resort of Rimini, hung out in Miami, hit the ski slopes in Switzerland and returned to Munich for a longer stay at Oktoberfest - all while their rivals are slogging it out on the training field.
One trip involved the players separating into groups to make their way from their Hertfordshire base to a rendezvous in Barcelona by whatever means they chose. On another, they climbed Cape Town's Table Mountain together.
This year they went to New York, taking in an ice hockey match at Madison Square Gardens.
While the destinations are exotic, what goes on upon arrival is old-fashioned: no team-building larks, no trust exercises, no flipcharts. Instead, lots of eating, drinking and laughing.
"Other clubs look at these trips and think they are stag parties," says Griffiths.
"It is far from that. It is a carefully-planned process to develop a group of people who will do whatever is necessary for each other and ultimately love each other."
Chris Ashton is a recent convert. The England winger, who arrived at Saracens via rugby league side Wigan and Premiership rivals Northampton, says the atmosphere is unlike any other dressing room he has been part of.
"When you are at a rugby club every day, you come in, do your work, train and go home to your families," he says. "You don't really get to spend that much quality time as a group together.
"Those trips give everyone the opportunity just to get to know everyone a little bit better, and spend quality time together."
Saracens' interpretation of quality time is different from what Ashton had experienced before. It is not just a question of banter. In fact, it isn't really banter at all.
A natural extrovert, Ashton had a reputation at Northampton - and still has one with England - for being one of the loudest members of the dressing room.
At Saracens, however, humility is prized as one of the club's four key values and Ashton has reined in his boisterous, bantering instincts.
"When I was at Northampton I was in the middle of it, giving all the abuse out, but that is not a big part of what goes on here," he tells BBC Sport.
"It's a bit hard to explain, but the environment is different and how the group want to be treated is different."
Within the Saracens staff there are 29 undergraduate degrees, 11 Masters degrees, one doctorate, two doctors and a professor. Brad Barritt (above) is soon to complete a Masters in business administration.
The globe-trotting mini-breaks are only the most eye-catching part of an approach that is designed to care for people as well as players.
The club require all their players to develop themselves off the pitch - through studying, work experience or running their own business - to prepare for life after rugby.
So centre Brad Barritt is about to complete a Masters in business administration, full-back Alex Goode has donned a shirt and tie to see how the insurance industry works and prop James Johnston's fledgling pie company is open for business at half-time at Allianz Park.
Every month on a Tuesday lunchtime, a speaker - after an introduction by a nervous young academy player - talks to the club as a whole.
Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss, Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart and transatlantic rower Debra Searle are among those to appear at Saracens' St Albans training ground.
There are workshops to learn negotiating and networking skills, charity partnerships and social events for players' partners and creches and personalised Christmas gifts for their children.
Paul Gustard was a player at the club before the arrival of Griffiths and Venter and has remained as defence coach.
"To a man, we have changed as people. Not only have we become a better rugby side, but we have become better people," he says.
"Nobody really comes to Saracens and leaves two years later like they did in the old days. They come here, play their career, retire and move on with a job we've helped them get.
"If you can have something that is over and above being a team-mate and be a genuine friend that I can ring up in 10 years' time, that is what I think Saracens is about."
The inevitable internal competition among a stellar squad could derail all these good intentions.
But each player is subjected to four separate psychological profiles. The results are shared with coaches and senior players, so instructions and advice can be delivered in the most constructive way possible.
Before taking up residence at their purpose-built Allianz Park home in 2012, Saracens had lead a nomadic existence, playing out of various London venues:
Nobody is ever "dropped", they are "rotated".
It may sound like semantics, but scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth won his starting place in Saracens' last Premiership final appearance only on a coin toss, with Neil de Kock replacing him in the 50th minute regardless of the state of the game.
Reducing results to a secondary concern and caring for, as well as paying, players requires healthy finances and a solid grounding towards the top of the Premiership table.
But Saracens have been well-backed before. Former owner Nigel Wray, who remains chairman of the club, brought in World Cup winners Francois Pienaar and Michael Lynagh and French stars Thomas Castaignede and Thierry Lacroix on big contracts.
The 1998 Tetley's Bitter Cup was the only silverware to follow.
Now Saracens are regular challengers for silverware, Griffiths and his staff are aware how their approach may come across.
"The Saracens way is our way and it suits us, but we are not pious and preaching about it in any way at all," says Griffiths.
"I would never tell Leicester, Harlequins or Northampton how to run their clubs."
He doesn't need to. Players and coaches at all three clubs cannot fail to have been impressed by Saracens' record-breaking 46-6 Heineken Cup semi-final win over Clermont Auvergne.
Griffiths says: "The dividing line between success and failure in professional sport is incredibly thin; it is literally a matter of inches.
"If you get to know someone well - their wife, their children, what excites them, what concerns them - when you are defending your line in the last minute the bond between you and the man outside you is going to be stronger.
"If we can find an extra inch in that bond, in the depth that players are prepared to go for each other, in Miami, New York or anywhere else, that is where we will go."


Con-artists are using flattery to encourage older people to part with an average of £32,000 for unauthorised and fraudulent investments.

The City regulator is warning people aged over 55 to be cautious over unsolicited callers putting on pressure to sign up to a "special deal".
Scammers often praised victims for being "knowledgeable investors", the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.
A survey suggested a lack of confidence in spotting scams among this age group.
If someone invests their cash with an unauthorised firm, they will have no protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) which protects them if something goes wrong with a regulated firm.
The FCA said that new pension rules, which allow those aged 55 and over to cash in their pension pot, could be seen as an extra opportunity by fraudsters to target people in that age bracket.
Mark Steward, director of enforcement at the FCA, said: "Be alert to the warning signs like being contacted out of the blue, promises of low risk and/or guaranteed above market returns, special deals just for you, time pressure and, very often, flattery."


Bristol City boss Lee Johnson says he has given on-loan Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham a break because of his "unbelievable" playing schedule.

The 18-year-old has scored five in seven games for the Championship side since joining for the season in August.
"He hasn't had more than four days off at any point in the last three years," Johnson told BBC Radio Bristol.
"Rightly or wrongly I've just given him 11 days off because this is a kid that's had 80 games on the spin."
Abraham represented his country at the European Under-19 Championships this summer, but was forced to withdraw from the England U20 squad for two recent games against Brazil with an ankle problem.
He made two appearances as a substitute for Chelsea in the Premier League towards the end of last season.
"People like Tammy Abraham have had, I think, 80 games on the spin with no rest and it's unbelievable," added Johnson during an hour-long interview on BBC Bristol.
"He's gone from playing Chelsea youth football all the way to the end of the season, straight into an international tournament, straight into pre-season.
"He loves football, and even yesterday I rang him and he was in the garden playing one-on-one with his brother - I was like, 'get in, you're supposed to be resting'.
"We can't put too much pressure on him because he's an 18 year old boy, but such is his character and his personality that I believe he will continue to score goals."


A US judge has ordered a hearing to consider new evidence relating to the 1987 double-murder conviction of a British businessman in Miami.

Krishna Maharaj, now 75, spent a decade on death row before his punishment was reduced to two life sentences in 1997.
He says Colombian drug traffickers were responsible for the 1986 shootings of Duane and Derrick Moo Young in Miami.
The hearing, likely to take place later this year, could lead to a retrial or reduced sentence.
At the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Miami on Thursday, Judge William Thomas granted the new hearing which will be able to hear from witnesses.
In his ruling, Reuters news agency reported, the judge said he was not "opining on the merits of the evidence" presented by the defence or "Maharaj's ability to establish his right to a new trial".
Lawyers for Maharaj say there is evidence the killings were carried out "at the behest of Pablo Escobar", former head of the Medellin cartel, who was shot dead by Colombian security forces in 1993.
Following the ruling, Maharaj, who previously lived in London, said in a statement: "I am absolutely elated by the judge's decision and I can't wait for the whole truth to come out in court."
His wife, Marita, added: "I don't even know how I feel right now.
"We have been fighting for 27 years. I know we haven't finished yet, but at least we won a battle."
Clive Stafford Smith, director of legal charity Reprieve and a lawyer for Maharaj, said the judge's ruling was "fantastic news".
"Judge Thomas has shown great courage in ordering this crucial new hearing, which is a vital step along the road to finally proving Kris's innocence," he said.
"At last, after 27 years in prison for a crime he patently did not commit, there is a chance that justice will be done in Kris's case."
According to a drug trafficker quoted in the defence motion, the Moo Youngs were "eliminated because they had lost Colombian drug money".
Prosecutors objected to reopening the case, saying the defence motion was based on "hearsay and inadmissible evidence".


The mass movement of people into Europe from Syria and elsewhere has put a new spring in the stride of France's far right.

To launch her campaign last Sunday for forthcoming regional elections, the Front National's Marine Le Pen chose a boat trip on the River Somme, through the market gardens of the northern city of Amiens.
As we chugged along in beautiful late summer sun, she delivered a set-piece speech in time for the evening news - then took questions from the press pack with her customary mix of pugnacity and charm.
I was struck by how little of her speech dealt with the issue that everyone else there was talking about - immigration.
Maybe it is because she feels the argument has already been made and won.
Mostly she spoke of what she would do for social services, unemployment, housing, culture etc - once she were elected president of the North Picardy region (which is what she is gunning for in December's vote).
But for the party faithful with us on the boat, the news from Germany and the east is more evidence that the FN's message on immigration has always been the right one.
"I do not know a single person - in the FN or in any other party - who  wants anything to do with this new wave of immigrants," said Vincent Rousseau, an English teacher from Soissons and an FN candidate.
"We have a country whose economy is broken. We cannot welcome more people. There are no jobs for them. There is no future for them. We have had enough."
Patricia Chagnon, an FN municipal councillor in the town of Abbeville, said many of her constituents were shocked when the socialist mayor of the town agreed to take in some of the new refugees.
"Of course we are distressed by their plight. But I am more distressed by the plight of the poor and elderly in Abbeville. Recently the socialist town hall put up the price of the meals on wheels that the elderly depend on.
"So we now have a situation where we are taking away from our own needy in order to help people who have come from outside."
It does not take an advanced degree in political science to conclude that the biggest movement of people into Europe in recent history was bound to be good electoral news for the FN.
Even many of the party's most vociferous opponents have expressed fury at Angela Merkel for - in their view - acting as a recruiting sergeant for Marine.
Far from lauding the German chancellor for her humanity in welcoming refugees, many ruling French socialists felt she was being grotesquely irresponsible.
Malek Boutih, who used to head the anti-racist group SOS-Racisme, accused Merkel of selfishly opening the doors in order to make up Germany's demographic deficit - without any thought for the consequences on countries like France.
"In effect Madame Merkel has become the political ally of Madame Le Pen," he said.
"Her policy on immigration is so ill-thought-out it is sowing consternation across our country."
When even socialists admit that too much immigration is a dangerous thing, it is evident that all the FN has to do is sit back and say: "We told you so."
Which is exactly what Marine Le Pen did when I asked on the boat how the dramatic recent events would affect French politics.
"If anyone had listened five, 10, 15 years ago to what we have always been saying, then we would not be in this mess today," she said.
For one of France's leading experts on the far-right, Jean-Yves Camus, the repercussions of the refugee crisis can only be good news for Marine.
"It is welcome for all the xenophobic parties of Europe, who can say that what is happening now is not immigration.  It is an invasion from the Middle East.
"And if, God forbid, there were to be a terrorist act carried out by someone who could be shown to be from this mass movement, then that would play into her hands still further.
"We can expect a lot more of the fear factor as the elections approach."
The latest opinion polls make Marine Le Pen favourite to win the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region - a victory that would give her big momentum ahead of the presidential race in early 2017.
Marine Le Pen:


It is understood that a prisoner who escaped from custody in the Republic of Ireland may be trying to get to Britain through Northern Ireland.

Derek Brockwell, from Glasgow, is serving a seven-year sentence in Portlaoise Prison for an armed robbery in Dublin.
He arrived in Dublin in February 2012 after absconding from a prison in Lancashire while he was on day release.
He was serving a life sentence for a series of armed robberies in London.
On Tuesday, Brockwell was brought to Tallaght Hospital for treatment, but once there he attacked two prison officers escorting him.
He escaped on a motorbike driven by an accomplice.
The crime correspondent with the Sunday Times, John Mooney, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that officers were continuing to search for Brockwell.
"He is still on the run at the moment, the gardaí [Irish police] are involved in a fairly extensive search," he said.
"I understand the PSNI in relation to this matter are involved as well because there is suspicion that he may try to leave the island of Ireland, by transiting through Northern Ireland and possibly across to Britain using one of the ferries."
An Garda Síochána have confirmed that they are liaising with the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) and British police in the search for Brockwell.
All airports and harbour authorities have also been alerted, and the public is being urged not to approach him.
Irish state broadcaster RTÉ reported that the Irish Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has asked for a report into the circumstances surrounding his escape.
She said it was a "priority" that Brockwell be returned to prison as quickly as possible.


Sam Smith has recorded the theme song for upcoming James Bond movie Spectre.

The track is called Writing's on the Wall and will be released on 25 September. Smith said: "This is one of the highlights of my career."
"I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations."
Just last week, Smith told BBC Radio 2's Jo Whiley he was "definitely not" working on the project.
But, revealing his involvement on Tuesday, he told Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw: "I'm so relieved to actually talk about this, this has been a top secret mission of my own."
He said he recorded the track in January.
"I got called into the office with Barbara Broccoli and Sam Mendes and they gave me the script, I read the script... they said 'have a go at the song'.
"It's the quickest I've ever written a song - it took 20 minutes... and they loved it!"
"I love the song so much," he added.
Smith has co-written the title song with fellow Grammy award winner Jimmy Napes, who worked with him on the number one hits Stay With Me and La La La.
Dance act Disclosure - who gave Smith his big break on the single Latch - tweeted that they had "added some additional production" to the song.
It is the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965.
The film, starring Daniel Craig, is released on 26 October.
It also features Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, David Bautista and Sherlock star Andrew Scott.
Adele's Bond song, Skyfall, won her an Oscar in 2013.
Ellie Goulding, Radiohead and Lana Del Ray had also been rumoured to record the Spectre theme song.
Goulding had heavily hinted her involvement in the production with a picture posted on Instagram in July. The picture showed the singer leaving the world famous Abbey Road Studios with the caption: "It's a wrap".
She also tweeted the title of the 1973 Bond film Live and Let Die.
Abbey Road was the same studio Adele used for the Skyfall theme.
Last month the bookmaker William Hill suspended betting on the identity of the next Bond theme singer after a customer in Middlesex tried to put a Â£15,000 bet on Radiohead having recorded the song.
"The first gamble of the day was Ellie Goulding and punters were backing her as if she already had the gig, but just as we were thinking of pulling the plug we had a load of bets for Radiohead, including one customer who asked to place a Â£15,000 bet on the band at 10/1," said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams.


Tesla's owner, Elon Musk, has said it is an "open secret" that Apple is making a rival electric car.

He also predicted vehicles that could not drive themselves would become a "strange anachronism" before too long.
The tech entrepreneur's comments were made during an exclusive interview with the BBC at his design studio near Los Angeles.
Tesla vies with Nissan and BMW to be the world's bestselling electric-car brand, but currently runs at a loss.
An added challenge is that over recent months several of its engineers have been hired by rivals, including China-backed Faraday Future and Apple.
Apple has not formally announced it is working on a vehicle, although it did recently register several automobile-related internet domains, including apple.car and apple.auto.
Mr Musk said it was "obvious" that the company would try to make a compelling car of its own.
"It's pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it," he said.
But he did not see the iPhone-maker as a threat.
"It will expand the industry," he said.
"Tesla will still aspire to make the most compelling electric vehicles, and that would be our goal, while at the same time helping other companies to make electric cars as well."
Mr Musk outlined a vision of a future where all cars would be electric and autonomous, and driving yourself would become a hobby rather than a necessity.
Tesla's Model S - a sports car that ranges from Â£56,000 to Â£85,000 depending on the chosen battery capacity and performance - has been one of the bestselling electric cars of recent years.
In recent months, its Autopilot feature has given the car a number of autonomous driving features:
Last weekend, it gained a new "beta" feature that allows owners to summon their car with their smartphone.
"[With] the current version of Summon, the car will come and find you if you're on private property," Mr Musk said.
"The car will exit the garage, close the garage behind it and come over to you.
"This is the first baby step - ultimately you'll be able to summon the car from New York if you're living in LA, and it will drive across the country, charge itself at the various locations and come to you."
This may sound like a vision of the distant future, but Mr Musk says it could be feasible in "a couple of years."
At both last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and this week's Detroit Motor Show, a number of other car makers have shown off innovations in electric vehicles and automated driving.
Mr Musk said electrification and autonomy were the two biggest innovations in the industry since the moving production line.
"In the long term, nobody will buy a car unless it's autonomous," he said.
"Owning a car that is not self-driving in the long term will be like owning a horse - you would own it and use it for sentimental reasons but not for daily use."
At this stage, Tesla produces only luxury models and is still making big losses.
Its founder admitted that its future would depend on the cheaper Model 3 version, which he said would go into production at the end of 2017.
"Unless there's an affordable car, we will only have a small impact on the world.
"We need to make a car that most people can afford, in order to have a substantial impact."
Mr Musk has two other businesses, rocket company Space X and energy supplier SolarCity.
Space X has also lost huge sums since it was founded, but last month it succeeded in landing its Falcon rocket upright after launching satellites into orbit.
Mr Musk now hopes to repeat the feat, using a floating barge in the Pacific Ocean as the landing pad.
He said making rockets reusable would transform the economics of the space industry.
"At the beginning I thought Space X and Tesla had a 10% chance of success. So, I'm quite surprised to see we're alive," he said.
"[It's] great, I wasn't expecting that."
Space X is in fierce competition with Blue Origin, the rocket business owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - but when asked about the rivalry Mr Musk answered: "Jeff who?"


A total of 462 councillors were elected across the 11 Northern Ireland councils, using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system.

Use the links below to see details of who was elected in each district electoral area in each of the 11 councils.
Follow the link under those details for a full account of elections, eliminations, votes and transfers.
Antrim and Newtownabbey
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon
Belfast
Causeway Coast and Glens
Derry and Strabane
Fermanagh and Omagh
Lisburn and Castlereagh
Mid and East Antrim
Mid Ulster
North Down and Ards
Newry, Mourne and Down


Four schools in Dumfries and Galloway have not reopened to pupils after the Christmas holidays due to heating failures.

Port William, Cummertrees, Closeburn and St Mungo's Primary at Kettleholm have been shut due to the issues.
In total, about 230 pupils have been affected by the closures across the region.
All of the primary schools are expected to reopen on Friday morning.


Emotional behaviour in childhood may be linked with heart disease in middle age, especially in women, research suggests.

A study found being prone to distress at the age of seven was associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease in later life.
Conversely children who were better at paying attention and staying focused had reduced heart risk when older.
The US researchers said more work was needed to understand the link.
Their study looked at 377 adults who had taken part in research as children. At seven they had undergone several tests to look at emotional behaviour.
They compared the results from this with a commonly used risk score for cardiovascular disease of participants now in their early 40s.
After controlling for other factors which might influence heart disease risk, they found that high levels of distress at age seven were associated with a 31% increased risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged women.
For men with high levels of distress in childhood - which included being easily frustrated and quick to anger - the increased risk of cardiovascular disease was 17%.
For 40-year-olds who had been prone to distress as a child, the chances of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years increased from 3.2% to 4.2% for women and 7.3 to 8.5% for men.
The researchers also looked at positive emotional factors such as having a good attention span and found this was linked with better cardiovascular health, although to a lesser degree.
Other studies have linked adversity in childhood with cardiovascular disease in adults.
And research in adults as linked poor emotional wellbeing with higher levels of cardiovascular disease, the researchers pointed out in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Study leader Dr Allison Appleton, said more research would now be needed to work out the biological mechanism that may underpin the finding.
"We know that persistent distress can cause dysregulation of the stress response and that is something we want to look at."
Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said it was already known that a child's health could often have a bearing on their future wellbeing.
But she added that more research was needed before it could be clear that any possible link existed between emotions in childhood and the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life.
"There are positive steps parents can take to protect their child's future heart health.
"What we learn when we're young can often set the tone for our habits later in life, so teaching children about physical activity and a balanced diet is a great place to start."


The Crown Prosecution Service and Met Police paid a family more than £600,000 in damages and costs after a child witness was identified to a gang.

The 16-year-old boy had been promised anonymity to give evidence about a violent gang attack, but details were inadvertently passed to gang members.
The family of three was moved for its protection. The 2008 payout is thought to be one of the largest of its kind.
Prosecutors said the service's actions "fell below our accepted standard".
The family was threatened after details of the boy's identity were disclosed, and had to be relocated as part of a witness protection scheme, although they were not given new identities.
In a statement, the boy, his mother and her partner told BBC News they had been left with "no option" but to leave their homes, careers, families and friends "without even being able to say goodbye".
They said other children in the family also had to leave.
"The children were uprooted from their schools and whisked away without an opportunity to explain: The trauma and upset this caused is beyond words."
The family's solicitor, Fiona Murphy, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The boy witnessed a violent gang attack and he agreed to provide a statement to the police on the express promise that his identity would not be revealed to the suspects.
"Through a series of individual and systemic failings, his name and address were revealed to the criminal gang and the family began to experience a campaign of harassment and intimidation, and when they brought their concerns to the attention of the Metropolitan Police it was denied that their identity had been revealed."
She said the police had finally advised the family they had to go into witness protection.
The family blamed the mistake on the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police and launched legal action against them for psychiatric damage, lost earnings and disruption to their lives.
The CPS and the Met eventually paid damages of more than £550,000, with the CPS paying almost two-thirds, £350,000.
As part of the settlement, the CPS and the Met also had to pay £50,000 legal costs between them as well as apologise to the family.
The family said that, for the young witness, "no sum of compensation would have given him back his youth".
"He will never recover from this experience, he has lost trust in the police and if he were to witness a similar crime tomorrow - he would simply look away."
Ms Murphy said it was the largest known payment of compensation for a violation of the right to private and family life brought against state agencies.
The case was settled in December 2008 but the details were never made public.
In December 2010, the CPS revealed - following a Freedom of Information Act request by the BBC about civil claims - it had made a payment of £350,000 but refused to provide further information.
The BBC appealed to the Information Commissioner and was told by the CPS in December 2011 that the claim related to a "failed request for anonymity at a trial". No other information was given.
It was only after a further request to senior prosecution officials that the CPS agreed to provide fuller details about the case.
The CPS said: "This payment relates to a case dating from four years ago where information was passed to the defence which led to concerns about the safety of a young witness and their family, so that they had to be provided with protective measures.
"The CPS recognised that its actions in this case fell below our accepted standard and, together with the Metropolitan Police Service, reached an agreed settlement of damages and an apology, with the parties concerned.
"We regret that on this occasion we did not provide the support which is normally available to witnesses."
The Metropolitan Police said it regretted the failings highlighted by the case, and added: "Where we get it wrong we should support those affected and if appropriate provide compensation."
Offering witnesses support and protection is an "integral" and "vital" part of the justice system, the Met said.
Det Ch Supt Stuart Cundy, head of the Trident gang crime command, that tackles gang-related violence in London, said: "It is important that the police learn from every case to improve our support for witnesses.
"Trident can and does protect witnesses. Success is when communities work with us, putting the criminals not the witness in fear."
Last week, the CPS was criticised over the way it treated young victims and witnesses in a joint inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
Inspectors said young people in England and Wales were being "left to flounder in an imperfect system" and warned that their interests "must be taken seriously".
The report found young people were not consulted on how they were to testify in court and that some cases were delayed or adjourned for several months.


A "jealous and manipulative" man who murdered his girlfriend by suffocating her, before taking her body home in a taxi, has been jailed for life.

Ahsan Hassan, 28, from High Wycombe, killed 20-year-old Zofia Sadowska in a disused kebab shop in September.
Reading Crown Court heard Hassan told the taxi driver she was drunk and asleep and later told police the death was part of a suicide pact.
Hassan was sentenced to a minimum term of 23 years and 165 days.
More news from Buckinghamshire
He "hatched a plan to kill her because he knew their relationship was going to end that night and he selfishly couldn't cope with that", Det Insp Stuart Blaik, of Thames Valley Police, said.
Hassan took Ms Sadowska to the disused kebab shop on Gayhurst Road in High Wycombe at about 23:30 BST on 18 September.
At about 02:00, he put her body into a taxi and they were driven to his home in Dashwood Avenue.
CCTV images of Hassan carrying her "limp and motionless body" out of the kebab shop and into the taxi were shown to the jury during his trial.
Police and paramedics were called to the Dashwood Avenue property just after 05:00 to reports of an attempted suicide.
Hassan, who was convicted of murder last week, had tried to cover up the crime by claiming her "evilly planned" killing was part of a suicide pact, Det Insp Blaik said.
Following the trial, he described Hassan as "deeply controlling, manipulative and consumed with jealousy".
Ms Sadowska's death had "devastated" her family, Crown Prosecutor Matthew Knight said.


The New York Times has endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John Kasich in their bids to become their parties' presidential candidates.

Ms Clinton, the liberal daily said in an editorial, is "one of the most broadly and deeply qualified candidates" in modern history.
An outsider in the Republican race, the NYT called Mr Kasich the "only plausible choice".
The backing comes days before Iowa voters become first to make their pick.
The endorsement of Ms Clinton from one of the top-selling titles in the US is no surprise; the NYT backed the former secretary of state in her losing bid for the presidency against Barack Obama in 2008.
The NYT had praise for Ms Clinton's main rival, Bernie Sanders, but the paper said he "does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs Clinton offers".
Assessing the Republican field, Saturday's editorial gave a damning verdict on the two leading contenders.
Frontrunner Donald Trump "has neither experience in nor interest in learning about national security, defence or global trade", the paper said. Ted Cruz "will say anything to win".
Instead, the NYT plumped for Ohio Governor John Kasich as "the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race".
Mr Kasich tweeted he was "proud" to gain the NYT's support, which may be something of a mixed blessing given that the paper has been a frequent focus of criticism for US conservatives.


Hearts comfortably dispatched Kilmarnock to register Ian Cathro's first win as head coach.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Callum Paterson put Hearts in front with a splendid volley before he was forced off with a knee injury.
Arnaud Djoum prodded home Liam Smith's cross from close range to double the home side's advantage before half-time.
Jamie Walker's double after the break made the game safe, with Dario Zanatta's late penalty miss inconsequential for Cathro's men.
Cathro insisted there would no radical changes when he succeeded Robbie Neilson, but the team is now beginning to look more like a reflection of his coaching style.
The onus is on trying to control the game - an outcome that remains beyond the side's reach while individual defenders continue to suffer moments of rashness at critical moments - and there has also been a change of shape.
With Krystian Nowak playing as a holding midfielder, and dropping back into defence when needed, the Hearts full-backs can push forward to provide attacking width.
The security provided by Nowak, and the hard-working Perry Kitchen, also allows Djoum to drift between midfield and a supporting role around the lone striker, Bjorn Johnsen, and Walker to flit around looking for pockets of space.
There is still no overstating the importance of Paterson, though. Not only did he open the scoring with a volley, the team looked badly affected when he had to be replaced because of injury midway through the first half.
Djoum's goal, just before half-time, allowed the home side to be more self-assured and he finished well inside the area from Smith's cross. On a rare foray forward, Nowak also hit a post late in the game with a curling effort.
Walker came to prominence after the interval with a display of poise and quick-wittedness. He had already skewed one shot wide and had another effort blocked by Will Boyle before he scored his first goal.
That came through good instincts, since he was well-placed to pounce on the rebound when Kilmarnock goalkeeper Jamie Macdonald pushed away a long-range Prince Buaben shot.
The attacking midfielder scored his second goal when Boyle was short with a pass-back and Walker coolly slipped the ball past Macdonald. He received a standing ovation when he was replaced before the end.
The visitors were well beaten in the end although never eased up on their competitive nature. Individuals suffered difficult nights, though, with Kris Boyd's every touch booed by the home support after his recent public criticisms of Cathro.
Boyd was unruffled by being targeted, although he was infuriated at times by his team-mates' failure to back up his pressing of the Hearts centre-backs.
Boyle suffered an even more uncomfortable night. He was booked in the first half after fouling Johnsen and was fortunate not to be sent off just before the interval for a crude challenge on Buaben.
Even when Kilmarnock did threaten, their most prolific player, Souleymane Coulibaly, could not find his range and he swept a Steven Smith cross over the bar.
It was a night to forget for the visitors and Gary Dicker was judged to have fouled Zanatta in the closing stages, but Macdonald managed to save the Canadian's spot kick.
Match ends, Heart of Midlothian 4, Kilmarnock 0.
Second Half ends, Heart of Midlothian 4, Kilmarnock 0.
Penalty missed! Bad penalty by Dario Zanatta (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot is close, but misses to the left. Dario Zanatta should be disappointed.
Penalty Heart of Midlothian. Dario Zanatta draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock) after a foul in the penalty area.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Faycal Rherras.
Attempt missed. Robbie Muirhead (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven Smith (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Robbie Muirhead (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Souleymane Coulibaly (Kilmarnock) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Attempt blocked. Krystian Nowak (Heart of Midlothian) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Steven Smith.
Krystian Nowak (Heart of Midlothian) hits the right post with a right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Corner,  Kilmarnock. Conceded by Liam Smith.
Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven Smith (Kilmarnock).
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Dario Zanatta replaces Jamie Walker.
Attempt saved. Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Josh Webb (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Josh Webb (Kilmarnock).
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Josh Webb replaces William Boyle.
Delay in match Krystian Nowak (Heart of Midlothian) because of an injury.
Goal!  Heart of Midlothian 4, Kilmarnock 0. Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner following a fast break.
Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by William Boyle (Kilmarnock).
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Iain Wilson.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Robbie Muirhead replaces Prince Buaben because of an injury.
Prince Buaben (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Bjorn Johnsen (Heart of Midlothian) header from very close range is close, but misses to the left following a set piece situation.
Corner,  Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Iain Wilson.
Attempt saved. Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by William Boyle (Kilmarnock).
(Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Souleymane Coulibaly (Kilmarnock).
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Dean Hawkshaw replaces Kris Boyd.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Jordan Jones replaces Martin Smith.


Labour should rewrite Clause IV of its constitution to make explicit its commitment to reducing inequality, a former Cabinet minister has said.

Liam Byrne said different wings of the party could unite around the idea and it could win support from business "frustrated" the UK was too unequal.
Jeremy Corbyn has suggested revisiting Clause IV to reinsert a commitment to public ownership dropped in 1994.
Mr Byrne said Labour MPs who disagreed with this must produce "better ideas".
Mr Byrne, who left the shadow cabinet after Mr Corbyn's election, has since formed a campaign group called Red Shift with other Labour MPs on the centre-right of the party to formulate new ideas.
Ahead of a speech to the Policy Network think tank, he told the BBC that MPs worried about the direction of the party under Mr Corbyn's leadership must "respect his mandate and mantra" and instead of "throwing rocks at him", had to accept that Mr Corbyn's emphasis on growing income inequality was popular with the public.
By rewriting Clause IV, he said, Labour would demonstrate that it was placing the fight against inequality at the heart of the party's aims and values while also recognising that "reconnecting wealth creation and social justice" was key to the UK's future economic competitiveness.
"We have to set out what unites us in the Labour Party," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "That is why we need to rewrite Clause 4 to put inequality centre stage  - where we differ we have to come up with better ideas.
"Everyone in Labour has to get with the programme and say the fight against inequality has got to be centre stage and to debate the best ideas."
Speaking during the leadership campaign, Mr Corbyn said the party could restore a pledge to common ownership within Clause IV, or set up a similar commitment, although he said this would not be a priority.
Mr Byrne, who was a Treasury minister under Gordon Brown and famously left his coalition successor in 2010 a note saying "There's no money left", said "widespread renationalisation" and other policies championed by Mr Corbyn, including big increases public spending, "risked failure" and those who disagreed with him had to put forward an alternative.
What is Clause IV?
A commitment to public ownership of industry was inserted into Labour's constitution in 1918: "To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service."
The aim was to nationalise the "commanding heights" of the economy - major industries such as coal, steel, telecommunications and railways, as well as the Bank of England and utilities such as water, gas and electricity.
All of these were taken into state ownership by the 1945 Labour government, although most private companies remained in private hands, as part of a "mixed economy".
The centre-right of the Labour Party waged a long campaign to ditch Clause IV, seeing it as an unrealistic throwback to an era of hard line socialism, arguing that the party was no longer committed to nationalising the entire economy - but it was seen as an article of faith by those on the left.
Tony Blair scrapped Clause IV soon after he became party leader, a move seen by some as a symbolic step which made the party more electable.
The original wording was replaced with a new commitment to "a thriving private sector and high-quality public services where those undertakings essential to the common good are either owned by the public or accountable to them".
He has called for changes to the remit of the Bank of England and Office for Budget Responsibility and reforms to capital markets as part of what he characterised as a "rewriting of the rules of the economy".
"We have got workers working harder and getting paid less. The result of all that is that we have got billionaires going up and more children in absolute poverty going up. That is not good enough. That inequality is scarring our country. We have to come up with different rules."
Rather than getting in a "head-butting contest" with business, he said Labour must work with them in areas of common agreement - such as the need for viable reforms to welfare and schools and greater investment in science.
While acknowledging there were "a lot of people in the business community who are anxious" about Labour's direction, he said there were areas where the party's views were compatible with business.
"We need to seize on building common cause with business reformers and do things differently in future.
"Lots of people in the business community do think Britain is too unequal, they do want to reconnect wealth creation and social justice and help develop a plan which creates a fairer and more equal country. We need to seize that ambition and work with it."
However, it emerged on Tuesday that no-one from Labour's frontbench will speak at next week's CBI annual conference of business leaders after Mr Corbyn refused an invitation. In past years, senior figures such as Ed Balls and Ed Miliband have taken part.
The decision was attacked by Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, who tweeted: "If @jeremycorbyn is seriously saying he won't put Labour's case to the @CBItweets we may as well just give Osborne the job now."
And former MP Tom Harris said he was "giving up" on the party after a close ally of Mr Corbyn - shadow foreign affairs minister Catherine West - suggested Labour would consult the Stop the War coalition before deciding whether to back air strikes against so-called Islamic State fighters in Syria.


A senior London Labour politician has told a judge he was falsely presented as a "racist" in an attempt to influence an election result.

John Biggs said Lutfur Rahman, independent Mayor of Tower Hamlets in east London, and his supporters made "unfounded" allegations in opposition.
At the Election Court - part of the High Court - four voters allege that Mr Rahman committed electoral fraud.
Mr Rahman's lawyer has called the allegation "unfounded and false".
Labour London Assembly member and former Tower Hamlets leader Mr Biggs stood as a candidate against Mr Rahman, the incumbent Tower Hamlets mayor in the May 2014 election.
He came second to Mr Rahman, receiving 32.82% of first preference votes.
Giving evidence on the second day of the special hearing, he said he had been referred to as "John Bigot" by Mr Rahman's election agent and mentioned in the same breath as Oswald Mosley, the founder of the British Union of Fascists,
But he said he had always campaigned against racism and would "defy anybody" to argue that he had not.
He said the Tower Hamlets election campaign had been "far and away" the "most unpleasant, personally abusive and vicious" he had been involved in.
Speaking about Mr Rahman, he said: "On the face of it he is a personable and courteous, if inscrutable fellow.
"I have learnt that behind the exterior is a quite ruthless and determined organiser."
Four petitioners - headed by Andy Erlam, who stood as a Tower Hamlets councillor on an anti-corruption ticket - have mounted a challenge to Mr Rahman's re-election under the provisions of the 1983 Representation Of The People Act.
Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey - a senior lawyer sitting as a judge - has been asked to declare the result of the May 2014 mayoral election void and order a re-run.
Mr Rahman, who was in court to watch Mr Biggs give evidence, says there is "little if any" evidence of wrong-doing against him.
His lawyers have described the group of four's claims as "invention", "exaggeration" and "in some cases, downright deliberately false allegations".
The hearing continues.


The infrastructure minister has announced a full review of taxi legislation.

A taxi advisory group will be set up and the review will take into account the views of operators, drivers and members of the public.
Chris Hazzard said the issues of licensing classifications and metering will have to be looked at.
He said his job was to "provide clarity".
"Metering is going to be central to how we go forward here," he added.
"My job is to provide clarity and to suggest that metering is going to be part of this."
Under current rules, taxis and similar vehicles fall under a number of categories.
Mr Hazzard said he was aware of concerns around licensing classifications for taxis and stated that class C was "intended for use by, for example wedding, funeral and novelty vehicles and not as a general taxi class".
"I am going to look to close the loopholes with class C so if that has questions or issues for people they have to consider that," he said
The review could raise doubts about the future of the Uber operation in Belfast.
A recently enacted law means that taxis need a certified meter and receipt printer but Uber will not install these as it uses its own metering technology.
However, as it stands there is no explicit prohibition on taxis using class C licences.
Uber said it was 'surprised' by Minister Hazzard's comments.
It said that in discussions with his department earlier this year "it was agreed that Uber's model fitted under the class C licence".
New proposals are expected to be brought forward for public consultation next spring, said the Department for Infrastructure.


Russia's deployment of nuclear-capable missiles to its Kaliningrad exclave is setting off warning bells in the Baltics and at Nato.

This is not the first time that the Russians have deployed Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles to Kaliningrad and it will not be the last. Indeed, some experts believe Russia's long-term plan is eventually to deploy the weapons permanently to the Russian enclave, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.
The Iskander-M system is relatively modern and was introduced into the Russian military in 2006. It is highly mobile - a pair of  missiles are carried on a heavy-wheeled launcher. The missile is known as the SS-26 and code-named "Stone" by Nato. It is equipped with a variety of counter-measures to try to breach enemy defences. Fired from Kaliningrad, it can reach all of the Baltic republics and probably about two-thirds of Poland.
It is controversial on two counts - because of its range and because it is dual-capable. In other words, it can carry either a conventional or a nuclear warhead. Armed with a nuclear weapon, its range of in excess of some 500km (300 miles) brings it into the scope of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty of 1987 which effectively bans the development and deployment of such weapons.
The US already believes that Russia has breached this treaty in its development work, but the regular deployment of the Iskander probably marks another nail in the coffin of the web of arms control agreements inherited from the Cold War.
Russia stresses that this deployment is part of a routine exercise. But equally, in the past it has brandished the Iskander system as a response to Nato's plans to deploy anti-ballistic missile defences in Europe. Russia has made several threats to target countries deploying elements of any missile defence system with nuclear weapons. Indeed, Russia's nuclear doctrine has also been re-written to afford a greater and earlier role for nuclear weapons in any regional conflict.
Poland and Estonia have both expressed concern at this latest deployment. The Chief of Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, Lt Gen Riho Terras, sees the Iskander as part of a long-term Russian desire "to bring the Baltic Sea and the passages leading to it more and more under its control, and to control it much as it does the Black Sea".
Kaliningrad profile
This is all part of a developing Russian strategy of what Nato characterises as an "anti-access and area denial": deploying weapons systems and sensors with ever-longer range (or, in the case of Kaliningrad, to a location where even relatively short-range will do) to push Nato forces away from the area.
Russia's long-range radars and air defence systems in Syria, for example, reach well out into the Mediterranean and into Turkish air space. The Estonian general's comments about the Black Sea are timely, since many Nato experts fear that it is fast becoming, in effect, a Russian-controlled lake.
Seen from Moscow, however, the picture is very different. Russia has watched Nato expand its membership ever closer to Russian borders. Countries like the Baltic republics, whose territory was once part of the Soviet Union, are now active Nato members. It is a trend that Russian President Vladimir Putin - who sees the collapse of Soviet power as a major tragedy - will neither condone nor forget.
Nato is now reinforcing its military presence in the Baltics and Poland in response to Russia's growing assertiveness in the wake of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. This again provides probably another motive for the deployment of the Iskander missiles.
Of course the debate has an element of the chicken and the egg. Where did the cycle of escalation actually begin? For Russia it is the original sin of Nato expansion, now worsened by ballistic missile defence and Nato military deployments (albeit very small) eastwards. For Nato it is Russian resentment, nuclear threats, and above all, its invasion and annexation of part of a sovereign country - Ukraine.
Russia's deployment of the Iskander serves multiple strategic purposes beyond the purely military. It is intended to remind the Western public - and particularly those in the Baltic republics (Lithuania has elections this weekend) - of the nuclear stakes in facing up to Moscow.
It is part of the signalling in a wider information war between Russia and Nato, where Moscow seeks to divide the Atlantic alliance and to secure for itself the ability to do as it pleases in what it sees as its near-abroad. Thus Russian-backed forces control parts of Georgia; Russia has annexed Crimea and backs pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine.
The problem for Nato is that the Baltic republics, whilst once Soviet territory, are now firmly within the Western camp. It has to draw clear lines to confront Moscow's influence while trying to avoid escalating any crisis further.


The Premier League, Championship and Scottish Cup dominate this weekend's football action.

Find the latest reports, team news and previews for each game below.
Kick-off times are 15:00 GMT, unless otherwise stated.
Premier League
Manchester United 1-1 Bournemouth
Leicester City 3-1 Hull City
Stoke City 2-0 Middlesbrough
Swansea City 3-2 Burnley
Watford 3-4 Southampton
West Brom 0-2 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal
Scottish Premiership
Kilmarnock 1-2 Motherwell
Scottish Cup
Rangers 6-0 Hamilton Academical
Hibernian 3-1 Ayr United
Championship
Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Bristol City 0-0 Burton Albion
Derby County 2-1 Barnsley
Fulham 3-1 Preston North End
Ipswich Town 1-1 Brentford
Nottingham Forest 3-0 Brighton and Hove Albion
QPR 2-1 Cardiff City
Reading 2-1 Wolves
Rotherham United 0-2 Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday 5-1 Norwich City
Huddersfield Town 1-3 Newcastle United
Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (13:30)
Sunderland v Manchester City (16:00)
Scottish Cup
Celtic v St Mirren (12:30)
Aberdeen v Partick Thistle (15:00)


Tony Lloyd's compulsion for collecting fridge magnets has seen him amass up to 5,000 mementoes in his home.

The retired teacher started collecting them in 1987 while on a exchange trip to Australia and now they dominate three rooms in his house.
His passion was even passed on to his students, who would bring back magnets from holidays for him.
The 64-year-old from Cardiff says he can remember the story behind each one and which pupil gave each magnet.
Mr Lloyd, a father of two from Rhiwbina, reckons his collection was bolstered by about 600 thanks to the pupils' efforts.
He used to display the magnets on the walls of his primary school in Cowbridge.
"I've a primary school teacher's mind and for most of them I remember the child who gave it to me and the story behind it," he says.
"Parents would say the [purpose] of the holidays was finding a magnet for Mr Lloyd. I had that story half a dozen times, whether it was the Greek islands or New York."
And when he was presented with the gift?
"I always treated every magnet as if I was enthralled by it.
"It wasn't the magnet but the thought behind it. Those kids remembered and bothered and that's priceless and shows mutual respect."
He was inspired to start the collection when he saw the fridge of an Australian couple who had picked up magnets during a year's travel around their country.
Mr Lloyd was able to cover his fridge after spending a year in Australia on his exchange trip. Most of his magnets are now displayed on steel panels.
What does your fridge door say about you? We want to know the story behind the items on it.
Nominate the people with the best fridge doors. Perhaps they have a large number of magnets or lots of photos or mementoes attached which carry special memories.
Send us your suggestions using the tool below and we could be in touch.
The keen traveller has discerning tastes, preferring geographically informative souvenirs.
"I wouldn't buy anything cheap or tacky like animals dressed up or boiled eggs.
"In Windsor and London they have teddies dressed as kings and queens. It's an abomination," he jokes.
On one occasion 30 were given to him in an unexpected way.
"I met a guy on the way from Detroit to New York and he told me his wife had recently died.
"We got talking about my magnets and he said his wife had had quite a collection."
Six months later a package arrived in the post, the postage costing $17 (at today's rates Â£13.60), he says.
"He wanted the magnets to go somewhere special. She had collected Broadway shows - Jersey Boys and Chicago.
"He said 'You've obviously got a passion'. I felt very touched by that."
Asked why he does it he says "It's a typical male compulsive disorder. I collect full-size flags as well."
And what do his friends make of it? "They think it's slightly eccentric. It's a talking point."
The world record for the largest collection of fridge magnets is held by Louise J Greenfarb from Las Vegas.
She has 35,000 non-duplicated fridge magnets that she has been collecting since the 1970s, according to Guinness World Records.
Mr Lloyd, who is retired, teaches English as a foreign language and is a tour guide, and does not expect he will ever match that achievement.
But his next trip abroad will take him to his 101st international destination, the Maldives. He racked up his 100th, Cuba, last year.
And there are no prizes for guessing what he will bring home.


Egyptian soldiers and police have raided the offices of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Cairo.

At least 17 US-based and local groups receiving foreign funding were targeted, according to activists and Egyptian state media.
An official said at least one of the US-based groups was operating without proper permits.
The US state department said it was "very concerned" and urged authorities to stop the "harassment" of NGO staff.
Some civil society activists have reported that employees were prevented from leaving while searches continued.
"This is not appropriate in the current environment," state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding that senior US officials had been in touch with Egyptian military leaders to express their concern over the raids.
Egypt's military has vowed to investigate how pro-democracy and human rights organisations are funded and has said repeatedly it will not tolerate foreign interference in the country's affairs.
"The public prosecutor has searched 17 civil society organisations, local and foreign, as part of the foreign funding case," official news agency Mena cited the prosecutor's office as saying.
"The search is based on evidence showing violation of Egyptian laws including not having permits."
The US-based groups targeted include the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), loosely associated with the US Democratic and Republican parties.
'Guardians of freedom'
Documents and computers have been seized as part of the investigations and one report said that the IRI's doors had been sealed with wax.
Julie Hughes, Cairo Director of the NDI, told the BBC about 14 members of the security forces had turned up at its offices.
"They came in and asked all of us to gather together in a room, to leave the laptops on our desks, and open and accessible," she said.
"They went around the room from computer to computer looking through files and then gathering up those computers, and then about four and a half hours later they left."
Both pro-democracy groups, who say they take a neutral political stance, run programmes to train members of nascent political parties in democratic processes.
The Arab Centre for the Independence of Justice was also among those being investigated, its head, Nasser Amin, told AFP.
Civil society groups have responded angrily to the raids.
"[Former President Hosni] Mubarak's regime did not dare to undertake such practices prior to the uprising," the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said in a statement.
The group said the authorities were "aiming to intimidate activists and rights advocates, gag their mouths and freeze their activities in support of human rights and against repression and torture".
Nobel peace laureate and Egyptian reformist Mohamed ElBaradei said any attempt to stifle such groups would surely backfire.
"Human rights organisations are the guardians of nascent freedom. Efforts to suffocate them will be a major setback," he wrote on his Twitter account.


Fears are growing for the future of clothing chain Republic.

Sources say the Leeds-based retailer, which has around 120 stores and employs some 2,500 staff, is poised to enter administration.
After undergoing rapid expansion about 10 years ago, it has since seen sales slacken off.
The group is reported to have already lined up the business services firm Ernst & Young to handle the administration.
The company focuses on the youth fashion market, which is fiercely competitive and under pressure.
"Operating towards the value end of the market should have placed the retailer in a strong position to take advantage of the consumer trend towards low-cost fashion," said Anusha Couttigane, from retail consultancy Conlumino.
"However, its target youth market has been the hardest hit demographic of the recession and it has struggled to appeal to them as effectively as rivals such as Primark, Asos or H&M.
"Fashion is a fast-moving industry where brand loyalty is fickle and Republic has failed to keep up with some pretty fierce competitors," she said.
If Republic does appoint administrators, it will be following in the footsteps of a list of High Street stalwarts.
These include the music retailer HMV, the camera group Jessops and the DVD and games rental company, Blockbuster.
"It's the worst post-Christmas period we've seen in a long time," said Matthew Hopkinson from the Local Data Company.
Republic is owned by private equity firm TPG, which bought the company in 2010 in a deal thought to be worth about Â£300m.
According to Anusha Couttigane, TPG had been trying to sell off some stores and persuade landlords to agree to lower rents.
"In light of this, news of its administration suggests that attempts to renegotiate monthly payments have failed, bringing the business to a complete standstill and landlords facing the prospect of more vacant units on the High Street."
Matthew Hopkinson said that while some stores may be snapped up, the vast majority of them are in shopping centres, which would be difficult to fill.
"HMV and others have also been sitting in shopping centres and therefore I think the number of units which have gone in the last few months in shopping centres will make it far harder than 12 months to refill them," he said.
Republic began selling denim clothing in Leeds in 1986 and since then has grown to supply both men and women with clothing brands including G-Star, Diesel and Firetrap.
Its chairman, Andy Bond, who was a former boss of Asda, is said to have left the company last week after two years.
Its current chief executive is the former boss of TK Maxx, Paul Sweetenham.


Burnley have signed former West Ham midfielder Matt Taylor and ex-Bolton striker Marvin Sordell.

Free agent Taylor, 32, has agreed a two-year deal at the newly-promoted Premier League side, while 23-year-old Sordell joins on a three-year contract.
The fee has not been disclosed for Sordell, who scored eight goals while on loan for Charlton and has been capped 14 times by England Under-21s.
Sordell previously played under Burnley boss Sean Dyche at Watford.
Taylor, who scored three goals in 90 appearances for West Ham before his contract ended in the summer, is another former Bolton player. He was previously at Portsmouth.
The arrivals are the second and third this week for Burnley after announcing on Wednesday that former Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks had joined them.
Another summer signing, Michael Kightly, had been on loan from Stoke last term and has now made the move permanent.


Brighton striker Glenn Murray will serve a one-match ban after the Football Association rejected an appeal for wrongful dismissal.

The 33-year-old was sent off by referee Stuart Atwell during Friday's 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
An independent panel upheld the decision at a hearing on Monday.
Murray, who had blocked a goal-bound shot with his hands, will miss Tuesday's home game against Cardiff.
The former Rochdale and Crystal Palace player has scored 15 goals in 26 Championship games after joining the Seagulls on a season-long loan from Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, under-23 striker Jonah Ayunga, 19, has joined League of Ireland club Sligo Rovers on a 12-moth loan deal.


The mother-in-law of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who was kidnapped in Brazil, has been freed without any ransom paid, say police.

Aparecida Schunck, 67, the mother of Mr Ecclestone's wife Fabiana Flosi, was abducted from her Sao Paulo home 10 days ago.
A ransom of $36.5m (£28m) was demanded, but none was paid, according to Elisabete Sato of the Sao Paulo police.
Ms Sato told the BBC there was a major police operation to free the victim.
Two suspects were arrested and the victim was not injured.
Ms Schunck was freed after being traced to a farmhouse near Sao Paulo after investigators monitored phone calls between kidnappers and her family, police say.
The BBC understands that Mr Ecclestone had wanted to come to Brazil to help in the investigation and had even offered the services of a private security company to deal with the kidnappers.
But Brazilian police told him that his presence in Brazil might be counterproductive and advised him and his wife to remain in the UK.
Mr Ecclestone, 85, is one of the most powerful men in sport and is worth an estimated $3.1bn.
Mr Ecclestone married Ms Flosi, 38, in 2012, three years after meeting her at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
He divorced his former wife of 25 years, Croatian model Slavica Radic, to be with Ms Flosi and they live in the UK.
The kidnappers had reportedly demanded that the ransom be paid in pounds sterling and divided into four bags of cash,
Such a relatively peaceful ending to a kidnapping with no money being paid is a rare, successful outcome, the BBC's Wyre Davies in Brazil reports.
Wealthy families often pay all or part of a ransom to free captives, fearing that if they do not the situation could end in tragedy, our correspondent adds.
Kidnapping was common in Brazil a decade ago, with Sao Paulo seeing an abduction every 27 hours in 2002, but declined after police formed a special anti-kidnap division and cracked down.
More common now is the practice of "express kidnapping" where people are sometimes abducted off the street and driven to a series of ATMs until their accounts are emptied.
The country, which is hosting the Olympic Games this month, is experiencing its worst economic crisis for decades.


Dutch authorities have begun an investigation into the death of former health minister Els Borst, whose body was found in her garage by a friend.

Ms Borst, 81, helped push through legislation in 2001 that made the Netherlands the first country to legalise euthanasia.
Forensic scientists were unable to say why she died. Police have said it was either an accident or a crime.
Ms Borst, who was a medical academic, served as minister from 1994-2002.
Her body was found on Monday evening and the area around her home near the central city of Utrecht was cordoned off.
Initial inquiries proved inconclusive, however police on Tuesday ruled out death by natural causes.
A full post mortem examination will now take place at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, they say.
"She may have had an accident after she felt unwell, but that cannot yet be said with certainty," a police spokesman told Dutch media. "So we cannot yet say whether any crime may have been involved."
A spokesman had earlier told Dutch radio there were no indications of anything untoward happening.
Els Borst had appeared at a conference of her liberal D66 party on Saturday and her death came as a shock to political colleagues in The Hague.
For a time, she led her party in the 1990s and Prime Minister Mark Rutte said her death was a great loss for Dutch politics.
"She ensured a breakthrough in the field of euthanasia for which very many people are still grateful," said Health Minister Edith Schippers.
She was also behind legislation governing the use of tissue from aborted foetuses for medical research.


The Burmese president has ordered an investigation into the case of two girls who say they were kept prisoner and tortured for five years in a tailor shop.

The teenagers were freed last week after a journalist helped them, but their families say that the police had on numerous occasions refused their pleas to get involved.
This Wednesday, with the case now generating headlines, the police finally arrested the tailor and two family members.
The two girls were aged just 11 and 12 when they were sent by their parents to the commercial capital Yangon.
For poor Burmese families it's a painful but depressingly common decision. The United Nations estimates that at least a million Burmese children are forced to give up on education and go to work.
These girls became maids in a tailor shop in the centre of Yangon. But what started as paid work allegedly turned into modern-day slavery. The girls say they were denied contact with their parents, were unable to leave and were no longer being paid.
Then there was the abuse. Visited by the French news agency AFP in their village after their release, the girls had injuries and scars on their arms which they say were inflicted by their captors.
"I have a scar from where an iron was stamped on my leg and a scar on my head as well," one of the girls, now 16, told AFP.
"This was a wound from a knife, because my cooking was not OK," she said, showing a mark on her nose.
The other girl, now 17, has burnt, twisted fingers - the consequence, she says, of them being broken deliberately by her captors as punishment.
The allegations of mistreatment are shocking, but it's the authorities handling of the case that has really enraged the Burmese public. Many see it as further proof of a judicial system stacked against the poorest and most vulnerable.
On several occasions over the last five years, the girls' families say they asked the Burmese police for help and were turned away.
It was only when a journalist called Swe Win became involved that things started to move. He approached the police, who again refused to help, before taking the matter to the national human rights commission.
To its credit, the commission did act, negotiating with the tailor for the girls' release and for a payment equivalent to about 4,000 dollars (Â£3060) to be made, effectively as back-pay. But there was public outcry when it emerged that no further measures were taken against the girls' alleged abusers.
"We figured at the time that we could solve the case satisfactorily to all parties involved with a compensation settlement," U Zaw Win, a member of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission told an angry news conference in Yangon.
With the girls' story now front page news and reverberating around social media, the Burmese police were finally spurred into action. On Wednesday evening the tailor was arrested, along with her two adult children. They all now face charges related to human trafficking.
Questions are now being asked as to why it took so long for the authorities to get involved. In a rare public intervention, President Htin Kyaw released a statement.
He said he had instructed the relevant ministries to assist and protect the girls, their families and the journalist Swe Win from possible reprisals.
The president has also asked for a report on how the police handled the case and said he would be taking a close look at the work of the human rights commission.
Swe Win is receiving a presidential award for his work on the case.


This year's BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition is being launched, with 20 young classical singers set to compete for the £15,000 prize.

The Welsh representative will be Sioned Gwen Davies, 30, a mezzo soprano from Colwyn Bay, Conwy county.
England, Italy, Mongolia and the United States will each have two finalists.
The competition, from 11 to 18 June, will include concerts broadcast from St David's Hall.
Ms Davies, a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, has performed with Scottish Opera and recently with Valladolid Opera in Spain.
She is also a former winner at both the National Eisteddfod and International Eisteddfod in 2009.
The competition this year includes two finalists from England - soprano Louise Alder, who is making her Welsh National Opera debut in Cardiff during the competition, and bass Dominic Barberi, while Catriona Morison represents Scotland.
One of the finalists, soprano Anush Hovhannisyan, will premiere an extract from an unfinished opera by Franz Liszt which had lain forgotten in a German archive for nearly two centuries before being revived by Cambridge lecturer David Trippett.
The competition includes only four tenors, including singers from as far afield as Australia and South Korea.
They were selected from an original list of 400 entrants and then auditions of 44 singers were held in six cities including Houston and New York.
The winner of the main prize will receive £15,000 and the Cardiff Trophy.
There will be rounds in the £7,000 Song Prize competition at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Belarusian soprano Nadine Koutcher took the title in 2015.
FIRST HEARING FOR 'LOST' OPERA
An incomplete Italian opera by Franz Liszt - which has lain largely forgotten in a German archive for nearly two centuries - will be given its world premiere as part of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
Dr David Trippett, a musicologist and lecturer at the University of Cambridge, first discovered the opera more than ten years ago.
He has spent two years working on the manuscript and a 10-minute preview will now be performed for the first time in public by Armenian soprano Anush Hovhannisyan.
The story was based on Lord Byron's tragedy Sardanapalus. Liszt abandoned the work half way through after he started composing it in 1849.
"The music that survives is breath-taking - a unique blend of Italianate lyricism and harmonic innovation. There is nothing else quite like it in the operatic world," said Dr Trippett.
"A lot of it is very hard to read, but the scruffiness is deceptive. It seems Liszt worked out all the music in his head before he put pen to paper, and to retrieve this music, I've had to try and put myself into the mind of a 19th Century composer, a rare challenge and a remarkable opportunity."
Ms Hovhannisyan said she felt "very blessed to have been a part of it."
The competition was first launched in 1983 as a springboard for the careers of young classical singers.
Director of BBC Cardiff Singer David Jackson said:  "I'm very excited about the talent we've netted for this year's Cardiff Singer. It's going to be a thrilling week of singing."
Concerts will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3, along with BBC Two Wales, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, S4C and online.


For the first time scientists have been able to track the hordes of high-flying insects that pass across the skies of Southern England every year.

Unseen and unnoticed by humans, researchers found that 3.5 trillion bugs and butterflies annually migrate across the region.
The researchers say their mass is equivalent to 20,000 flying reindeer.
The count was made using vertical radar and insect nets mounted on balloons.
Over a 10-year period, the scientists looked at insects flying night and day, between 150 and 1200m above the ground.
While their origins weren't recorded the researchers believe that many were travelling to and from the UK from across the English Channel and the North Sea.
Although the vast majority of the insects were tiny creatures like cereal crop aphids, flies and midges, there were also larger ones including hoverflies, ladybeetles, moths and butterflies.
One of the most surprising findings was that while the smaller insects took off regardless of wind direction, all the medium and larger creatures showed a really clear pattern of seasonal movements.
"The insects are basically measuring the wind direction and deciding whether or not to fly on that particular day or night," said Dr Jason Chapman, from the University of Exeter, the paper's co-author.
"It signifies that the insects have a compass mechanism in order to know which is north and south, but they also have the capability to then fly up high into the sky and assess the direction of the wind and relate it to the compass direction and make a decision on whether to fly or not - that's a quite complex set of things and many, many species are doing this."
The researchers found strong migrations northward in the Spring with subsequent movements south in the Autumn.
The scale of these movements essentially cancelled each other out over the period of the study.
What was also somewhat surprising were the distances covered and the speed of travel. The researchers found some insects were able to travel at 36-58 kilometres per hour, over distances of 200-300km.
The ability to study these creatures over long periods of time may be very helpful in determining the changes to the environment.
"Animal migration, especially in insects, is a very complex behaviour which takes millions of years to evolve and is very sensitive to climatic conditions," said Dr Ka S Lim, from Rothamsted Research, another author of the paper.
"Global climatic change could cause decline of many species, but equally other highly adaptable species thrive and become agricultural crop pests."
The researchers say that they have been able to estimate the mass of the creatures flying over the southern part of the UK at around 3,200 tonnes of biomass, which according to the authors is the equivalent of 20,000 flying reindeer.
"It's also nearly eight times the mass of the number of migratory songbirds that are coming out of the UK every year," said Dr Chapman,
"But yes, 20,000 reindeer is the correct figure, it's a calculation I did when I realised the date the paper was coming out!"
The study has been published in the journal Science.
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Ashok Singhal, a senior leader of India's Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad movement, has died aged 89.

He was admitted to hospital near Delhi last Friday in a critical condition after complaining of breathlessness.
A leading figure in the drive to build a temple at a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, he was known for his anti-Muslim remarks. Ayodhya has sparked deadly riots and remains a flashpoint.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described his death as "a deep personal loss".
Mr Singhal was the international president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) - an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - for more than 20 years. The VHP is a close ally of Mr Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
"He passed away at 2.30pm today. He had multi-organ dysfunction, ARDS [acute respiratory distress syndrome] and sepsis and was being treated by a team of specialists," The Times of India quoted Dr AK Dubey of Medanta hospital in Gurgaon as saying.
The 16th Century Babri Masjid (mosque) was torn down in 1992, allegedly by activists of VHP and other hardline Hindu groups who claim the site is the birthplace of their deity, Ram.
Tributes have been pouring in for the controversial leader on Twitter. In a series of tweets, Mr Modi described him as "an institution":
Soon after the news of his death became public, Ashok Singhal began trending in India and was also the number two trend worldwide. Many tweets praised his role in "resurrecting" Hinduism in India, but not everyone shared that opinion.


North Korean scientists have invented a hangover-free alcohol, according to the Pyongyang Times.

The state newspaper says the "suave" liquor will spare you wincing when you wake, despite boasting 30%-40% alcohol.
The brew is reportedly made from a type of indigenous ginseng called insam and glutinous rice, and cultivated by an organic farming method.
North Korean media is known for making often outlandish claims about its domestic achievements.
Last year, it said medical products containing extracts from the insam plant could cure Mers, Sars and even Aids, NK News reported.
The Pyongyang Times said the new alcohol "exudes national flavour", without dampening your national fervour the following morning.
Among its other unique selling points, according to the paper - the spirit "is highly appreciated by experts and lovers".
The newspaper article, titled, "Liquor wins quality medal for preserving national smack", says the Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory has been working for years on the elixir.
The drink derives from Kaesong Koryo insam - a natural herb thought to have medicinal properties. According to the Pyongyang Times, replacing sugar with the scorched, glutinous rice removed the bitterness from the insam and, crucially, the hangover.
"Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam, known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice, is highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover," the article reads.
The liquor "has already been registered as a national scientific and technological hit", it adds.
Andray Abrahamian, who travels to North Korea on business for Chosong Exchange, told the UK-based North Korean News website that insam liquors were "OK"  but he is "not that keen on it as a tasty treat".
"There are some high quality liquors made in North Korea, though in my experience there is no such thing as hangover-free booze anywhere in the world," he said.


Tributes have been paid to British-born Joan Lee, wife of Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, who has died aged 95.

The former hat model and her comic book maestro husband were set to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary later this year.
Marvel Entertainment said they had "lost a member of the Marvel family".
American comic Kevin Smith, who interviewed Joan earlier this year, called her "Stan's personal superhero", adding: "Thank you Marvel Muse."
In a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter, Stan Lee's family confirmed "the sad news that Joan Lee passed away quietly [on Thursday] and surrounded by her family."
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and daughter," said Marvel in its own statement.
"We are so saddened to hear about the loss of Joan Lee... Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stan and his daughter Joan in this difficult time."
Stan Lee worked with artist Jack Kirby to create such comic book characters as Thor, Doctor Strange, X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
Joan Lee was the author of 1987 novel The Pleasure Palace and had several cameos in Marvel films, including last year's X-Men: Apocalypse.
Writing on Instagram, Kevin Smith said that when he had met Joan Lee in January, she told him: "It's always Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man. They don't know the amazing writer he really is."
He added: "She then talked about the words her long-time love had written for her over a lifetime spent together.
"There's a very famous story about Stan wanting to leave Marvel, in which Joan advises him 'Before you quit, write a comic you're proud of.' That comic was Fantastic Four - the birth of the Marvel Universe.
"He told us tales of heroes but Joan was Stan's personal superhero - and without her, we never get our modern mythology.
"They say behind every great man is a great woman. In this case, the great woman was always standing right beside him. Joan and Stan were best friends for 70 years."
The couple had two daughters - Joan, born 1950, and Jan, who died three days after her birth in 1953.
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Two British men have appeared in court charged with immigration offences after a boat carrying 20 people was rescued off the Kent coast on Sunday.

Robert Stilwell, 33, from Dartford, and Mark Stribling, 35, from Farningham, appeared at Medway Magistrates Court accused of people smuggling.
Those rescued included 18 Albanian migrants, two of them children.
An ex-chief immigration inspector said earlier people would die unless more were done to stop crossing attempts.
Mr Stilwell and Mr Stribling were charged with conspiring to facilitate the entry of non-EU nationals, and remanded in custody to appear before Maidstone Crown Court on 27 June.
The UK coastguard said it was called just before midnight on Saturday to an incident off the coastal village of Dymchurch.
Residents: 'It's a bit of a worry'
How is the UK-France border policed?
Those on board the boat reportedly alerted their families in Calais after their inflatable boat started taking in water.
Rescuers said a helicopter from nearby Lydd and two lifeboats from Dungeness and Folkestone were sent to the incident off Dymchurch.
At about 02:00 BST on Sunday, a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, known as a "rhib", with 20 people on board was found.
Trevor Bunney, who was part of the RNLI lifeboat rescue team, said the people they rescued were "a bit dishevelled, [had] obviously been at sea a long time and not in the best of conditions".
"One lady had the first signs of hypothermia," he said.
After being rescued, the group were handed over to the UK Border Force and taken to Dover.
A second vessel - which officials say could be linked to the incident - was discovered on the beach at Dymchurch.
Since the rescue on Sunday, concerns have been raised that sea tragedies, similar to those seen on the voyage to Turkey, Greece or Italy, could occur in the English Channel.
There is an "equal chance" of migrants drowning in the Channel as in the Mediterranean, former chief inspector of borders and immigration John Vine said.
Mr Vine, who was chief inspector until 2014, said: "We have seen the tragedies that have occurred in the Mediterranean.
He added that the hazards of Channel sea traffic, weather and sea conditions "are going to mean there is an equal chance of people losing their lives unless this is stopped."
"Clearly if this is now the start of something new, then really that needs to be reassessed and resources need to be put in," he added.
By Simon Jones, BBC correspondent
Many people living along the Kent coast are shocked, but not surprised at what's happened.
The Channel is a huge stretch of water to patrol - and the authorities are often relying on tip-offs to try to catch those responsible.
Some residents are asking how many migrants are managing to get through without being detected.
The fear is that with the recent security clampdown at the Port of Calais and Eurotunnel, more and more migrants will attempt to cross the Channel on small boats, putting their lives at risk.
At the Port of Dover, the boat from which the migrants were rescued has been painstakingly examined.
It would have been a tight fit to get 20 people on board, crammed into the small craft in the busiest shipping lane in the world.
Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, however, said it was "too early to say whether this is a new trend".
He told BBC Radio 5 live it was wrong to say the UK's coastline was "undefended", saying the Channel was "probably the most monitored stretch of water in the world".
UKIP Leader Nigel Farage said it was "essential that a clear message is sent that no migrant arriving on our shores by boat is allowed leave to remain".
"We have all seen the horrors of the Mediterranean, with thousands crossing and hundreds dying, we cannot allow that to happen off the shores of Kent and Sussex."
Lucy Moreton, general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, which represents border agency and immigration staff, said large stretches of Britain's coastline were being left unpoliced, and officials simply did not know how many migrants have entered the country undetected.
Her "gut feeling" and anecdotal evidence suggested Britain's coasts are facing the biggest ever onslaught of people smugglers, she said.
Sunday's incident comes after 17 men, thought to be Albanian migrants, were detained when a catamaran arrived at Chichester Marina in West Sussex on Tuesday, along with a 55-year-old British man wanted on suspicion of murder in Spain.
The Briton, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and the 17 men were held on suspicion of entering the UK illegally.
Also last month, two Iranian men were found floating in a dinghy in the Channel.
Meanwhile, Greek coastguards rescued 29 migrants adrift off the island of Lefkada, in the Ionian Sea, as they attempted to reach Italy 150 miles (241km) away.
They are the first migrants known to have attempted the sea crossing from Greece to Italy since the northern land route via Macedonia was closed in March.


A man accused of robbery and assault was shot and killed in a Salt Lake City court after he lunged at a witness giving evidence.

Siale Angilau, 25, died in hospital after being shot several times by a US marshal in front of the jury at the new federal courthouse.
The FBI said he had rushed towards the witness with a pen in an "aggressive, threatening manner".
Angilau was the last of 17 accused gang members tried as part of a 2010 case.
The case included 29 counts, including assault, conspiracy, robbery and weapons offences.
Perry Cardwell, who was in the courtroom with his adult daughter, told the Associated Press news agency at least six shots were fired.
"It was kind of traumatising," Sara Jacobson, his daughter, said.
The witness on the stand at the time was not identified and was not injured.
He appeared to be in his mid-20s and was testifying about gang initiation, Mr Cardwell said.
US District Judge Tena Campbell declared a mistrial, writing in her order that members of the jury were visibly shaken and upset.
Angilau's lawyer declined to answer questions as he left the court on Monday. The accused had been transferred to federal custody last week after serving time in prison in Utah on other charges.
The new federal courthouse in Salt Lake City opened just a week ago. It was designed with several security features, including bulletproof glass in some areas and separate routes in and out for judges, prisoners and the public.
The building was closed for a while after the shooting but later reopened.