Migrants screamed for help from van, jury told

Anas Al Mustafa, 43, is charged with assisting unlawful entry to the UK

Migrants concealed in a refrigerated van on a ferry on the English Channel were heard banging and screaming for help as they ran out of oxygen, a court has heard.

Anas Al Mustafa, 43, is accused of smuggling seven people into the UK in a specially-adapted vehicle on 16 February.

Jurors heard the crew on the ferry sailing from Dieppe to Newhaven used an axe to break down a fake partition inside the van to get the group out.

Mustafa, who is from Swansea but moved to the UK from Syria in 2011, denies assisting unlawful immigration to the UK at Lewes Crown Court.

Opening the case, prosecutor Nick Corsellis KC said the hidden compartment was two metres’ wide, 194cm tall and 37cm deep, which forced the migrants to stand without enough space to move to any meaningful degree.

Mr Corsellis said they were also not provided with water.

He said: “The heat created by seven people in such a small space and the lack of sufficient air/oxygen had created a highly dangerous situation.

“It was no doubt this mortal emergency that forced the migrants to call for help in desperation.”

'Stood out'

The court heard two of the migrants had lost consciousness at the point when the group was rescued.

Passengers on board the ship assisted, and Australian nurse Sari Gehle helped to provide oxygen and medical supervision, the court was told.

The migrants were taken to hospital for treatment after the rescue, the court heard.

Mr Corsellis said Ms Gehle noticed one person “stood out” in the situation, who she described as an Asian man with a puffer jacket who was “sitting on the ground seemingly scrolling through his mobile telephone and was remarkably calm in her view".

The prosecutor said that the man was the defendant.

The incident sparked an emergency response at Newhaven port

The court heard that the ferry captain gave a statement to police that said the driver "didn't seem to understand what was going on", but did not attempt to assist those taking part in the rescue and looked at his smartphone.

Captain Xavier Fontenit added: "He was looking surprised. He remained in the garage saying nothing until he was taken ashore by police."

When questioned by police, Mr Al Mustafa said when he was last in Syria in January, he had been introduced to a man called Badr, who said he needed him to do a job for him, driving a van, the court heard.

Mr Al Mustafa said he had done this previously and was paid £500 to drive a van to Liverpool for an MOT test, but for the February job, he was being paid £5,000 to drive a vehicle from Belgium to the UK, the court heard.

'Why pay £5,000?'

Jurors heard he told police he did not know there were people in the van, but because he was being paid £5,000, he thought "maybe this time there is people inside".

When asked by officers why he was being paid £5,000 to drive an empty van, he replied: "I told you true. I think there is people inside.

"Why he pay 5,000 this time? Why he give me the car (van) one hour before I arrived. I think in my mind why he give me 5,000. Then sure there is people in back."

Mr Corsellis asked jurors to consider whether this was a confession, adding: "We suggest that the defendant was not telling the full truth as to his involvement in the trafficking."

The trial continues.