A man has appeared in court in Brighton after seven Vietnamese migrants were found in a van at Newhaven ferry port.
Anas Al Mustafa, of Heather Crescent, Swansea, is accused of assisting unlawful entry to the UK following the major response at the port on Friday (16 February).
Emergency services including ambulances, police and Border Force officers were in attendance at the scene and six people were taken to hospital on Friday.
One of them is in a critical condition, the court was told.
The 42-year-old handyman, aided by an Arabic interpreter, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth at Brighton Magistrates’ Court today (Monday 19 February).
David Holman, prosecuting, said that while on the ferry, seven Vietnamese nationals concealed in a van escaped by breaking through a wall.
They were trying to get out of the vehicle while others from the outside were trying to break them out, he said.
Mr Holman said that four of the migrants were still in hospital, and one was in a critical condition.
Ferry operator DFDS, which runs services between Newhaven and Dieppe, in Normandy, said on Friday that migrants were found on board the Seven Sisters vessel and that immediate medical attention was provided.
District Judge Amanda Kelly remanded Al Mustafa in custody to appear at Lewes Crown Court for a plea hearing on Monday 18 March.
