Man jailed for 'inhumane' smuggling of migrants

A people smuggler has been jailed for immigration offences after seven migrants were crammed into a "tiny, inhumane space" in a van.

The Home Office said six Vietnamese and one Syrian migrant were "squeezed inside" the Citroen van as Valaeriu Iordatii attempted to enter the UK by ferry from the Hook of Holland to Harwich, Essex.

Iordatii, 24, from Romania, claimed he had no idea the compartment above his head was filled with people.

He was jailed for three years at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday.

Iordatii admitted two immigration offences.  

Officers from Border Force searched the "tiny" van at Harwich on 16 December, a Home Office spokesperson said.

They discovered the "horrendously overcrowded sleeping compartment".

Two migrants claimed asylum upon entry while the remaining five did not.

They were deemed illegal entrants and have returned to the Netherlands.

Iordatii could be removed from the UK after referral to the Home Office.

Minister for illegal migration, Michael Tomlinson, said: "People smugglers don't care if their passengers live or die, as long as they pay.

"If you put lives at risk, you will face the full weight of the law and we will ensure you leave the UK as soon as possible."

Chris Foster, deputy director of criminal and financial investigations at the Home Office said:  "This shocking case shows that people smugglers are going to increasingly extreme lengths to make their money.

"If anything had happened on that ferry, seven people would have been unaccounted for and trapped."

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