Van driver jailed for smuggling migrants on ferry

Anas Al Mustafa was found guilty of smuggling seven migrants into the UK

A van driver has been jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of smuggling seven migrants into the UK via a cross-Channel ferry.

Anas Al Mustafa hid the migrants - who were heard screaming for help as they struggled to breathe - in the hidden compartment of a van on a Dieppe-Newhaven crossing in February.

They were eventually freed when a crew member used an axe to break down a fake partition to get them out.

Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, described Al Mustafa, 43, as an "evil criminal" after his sentencing on Friday.

Al Mustafa, of Heather Crescent, Swansea, was convicted of assisting unlawful entry to the UK at Lewes Crown Court last week.

Jurors unanimously found the father-of-two guilty of trafficking people in the specially-adapted van.

During the trial, Al Mustafa denied knowing they were in the vehicle and told jurors he was “shocked” and “completely numb” at the finding.

The incident sparked a major response from emergency services in February

The discovery at the East Sussex port sparked a major response from emergency services, with ambulances, police and Border Force in attendance.

The seven Vietnamese nationals were hidden in a 2m (6.5ft) compartment of the van, where they were forced to stand and were left with no access to clean air, food or water for hours.

One of the victims, who suffered a stroke, has since developed a long-term memory issue as a result of the conditions they were placed in, the Home Office said.

Another victim suffered from acute kidney injuries. The rest required urgent hospital treatment for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Dame Eagle said it was "a miracle" that the seven migrants "are still alive after the conditions they were put in at the hands of Mr Mustafa".

Seven migrants were hidden behind a specially-designed fitted panel in the van

Sentencing Al Mustafa at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, Judge Laing told him he had made the journey "for financial gain" and "knew the huge and obvious risks to the lives of the people that were wholly unknown to you".

She added: "The number of people risking their lives would be much reduced if there were not people like you trying to make money from their desperation."

During the trial, jurors heard how the six men and one woman were starved of oxygen and were suffering from dehydration inside the concealed space.

Crew on the Seven Sisters ship heard pleas from inside the van on deck during the journey, the court heard.

Two of the migrants had lost consciousness by the time they were rescued.

An Australian nurse and passenger on the ferry, Sari Gehle, responded to a call to assist the crew and described the female casualty as “terrified”.

She recalled male casualties being on the floor, with one vomiting, and another with a cut across his left shoulder. All of them were given oxygen masks.

Al Mustafa said he was paid to drive the van to the UK

The court heard how Al Mustafa, who is originally from Syria, was introduced to a man called Badr the last time he was in Syria, who said he needed him to do a job for him driving a van.

The prosecution told the court in a police interview with no interpreter, Al Mustafa said he was paid £500 on a previous occasion to drive the van to get an MOT in Liverpool, but for the February job he was being paid £5,000 to drive the van to the UK.

Jurors heard that the self-employed construction worker told police because he was being paid £5,000 he thought “maybe this time there is people inside”.

When asked about the interview, Al Mustafa told jurors via an interpreter that the £5,000 sum was incorrect and he meant £500.

He also said he did not remember telling police he thought maybe people were in the van and did not know why he said that.

Instead, Al Mustafa told the court he flew to Amsterdam for a holiday and met Badr at the airport, who suggested he drive the same van he previously drove for the MOT to take it back to the garage as there was a fault with the gearbox.