A man has been jailed for smuggling seven Vietnamese migrants in a specially built cramped and tiny hidden section in a van on a Dieppe to Newhaven ferry.
Anas Al Mustafa, 43, is starting a 10-year sentence imposed this morning (Friday 6 September) by Judge Christine Laing, the honorary recorder of Brighton and Hove.
Al Mustafa, a handyman and builder, of Heather Crescent, Swansea, was convicted by a jury at Lewes Crown Court of trying to smuggle migrants into the country.
Nick Corsellis, prosecuting, said: “This was a case that was motivated by financial gain.”
The migrants were crammed into a tiny space deprived of water to drink and oxygen to breathe.
The dangers of what Al Mustafa did were shown by the life-changing effects for one of the migrants who suffered a stroke from which he appears unlikely to make a full recovery.
All seven migrants required hospital treatment, one of them for a kidney problem brought on by dehydration.
Jack Triggs, defending, said: “His role was little more than that of a driver.”
Mr Triggs said that Al Mustafa was not involved in the planning of the offence and did not have a leading role in what had happened.
He said: “This is an isolated offence. He was offered a relatively low level of payment.”
Mr Triggs added that Al Mustafa, a married father of two, was a man of previous good character, adding: “He has lived in this country for 14 years. He has never offended in the past.”
Judge Laing said that the forensic evidence, including DNA traces, suggested that he was more involved than he had admitted.
The judge said: “The maximum sentence for this offence has been increased over the years and is now one of life imprisonment, no doubt to reflect the seriousness of this type of offending where there has been a huge increase in the number of cases in recent years.
“Such offending causes two principal and extremely serious problems.
“Firstly, it compromises the economic and physical security of the nation and all its citizens when people are brought within its borders without the knowledge of the authorities.
“The safety of this country and everyone who lives in it is dependent on knowing who is here.
“The second serious problem is one which this case amply demonstrates, namely that desperate people are prepared to risk their lives to come into the United Kingdom, often with tragic consequences.
“They are effectively exploited by those who can profit from this trade, and who pay little attention to their safety. This is one such case.
“I have heard distressing evidence about one of the Vietnamese migrants whose life has been changed forever because the effects of the oxygen starvation induced a stroke and another who suffered an acute kidney injury.
“That the others were able to recover relatively quickly in the days that followed is due mainly to the swift action of the crew to free them and the actions of Sari Gehle, a nurse, and Lucy Bristo who both answered calls for help.
“I have read a statement from Ms Bristo about the traumatic impact these events have had on her, unsurprising given the scene that greeted her.
“It is a reminder of what all of those who have to deal with these events also go through.
“I am quite satisfied that you were not a mere driver, closing his mind to the obvious and being prepared to simply drive the lorry into the UK.
“I reject your account that you were simply having a holiday in Amsterdam and met up with a man you had only spoken to on the telephone while in Syria.
“I also reject your account that you were looking to purchase the vehicle, hence your footprints being on the top of the cab and your DNA on the bolt and washer in the hide space.
“I am quite satisfied that you were involved in either altering the van yourself, or arranging for it to be altered to create the hide space, no doubt during the earlier trip to bring the van into the UK.
“Preparing the van to conceal the hide so effectively involved a considerable degree of organisation in which you played a significant role in my judgment.
“I accept that you did not play a leading role overall in this enterprise but I am quite satisfied you played a very significant role, involving a high degree of planning.
“I am also satisfied that there was a high risk of death or serious injury as a result of the size of the hide and the lack of any air supply.
“I have no doubt you knew just how small the space was, and the serious risk to life that would create, particularly when the van was stationary.
“On your own admission, you committed this offence for financial gain, taking a huge and
obvious risk with the lives of people wholly unknown to you.
“The maximum sentence for this offence has now been increased to life imprisonment. The court passes severe sentences in cases such as these to try to deter this terrible type of offending.
“The desire of people to reach the UK is perhaps understandable for many reasons but the numbers of those risking their lives to actually do so would be much reduced if there were not people like you prepared to make money out of their desperation.
“The least sentence I can impose is one of 10 years’ imprisonment.
“I wish to commend the actions of Sari Gehle and Lucy Bristo in answering the call they did as swiftly as they did and for the assistance they provide until the ship was able to dock.
“I have little doubt that their actions prevented more serious injuries to the other migrants and saved the lives of those most affected.”
