A group of migrants were heard banging and screaming for help while trapped in a refrigerated van on a ferry bound for the UK, according to testimony given in court. The trial of Anas Al Mustafa, a 43-year-old accused of smuggling seven migrants into the UK, began at Lewes Crown Court, where the harrowing details of the incident were revealed.
Al Mustafa is accused of attempting to smuggle the migrants from Dieppe, France, to Newhaven, East Sussex, on February 16. The migrants were concealed in a specially modified van with a hidden compartment measuring just two meters wide, 194 cm tall, and 37 cm in narrow width, forcing them to stand with no room to move. The court heard that the migrants were not provided with water and were deprived of oxygen in the confined space.
Prosecutor Nick Corsellis KC described the scene as highly dangerous, explaining that the heat generated by seven people in such a small space, combined with the lack of sufficient air, created a life-threatening situation. The desperate migrants began banging and screaming for help, leading the crew of the Seven Sisters ferry to intervene. Using an axe, the crew broke down the fake partition to rescue the migrants.
The group was rescued around 9:20 a.m., but by that time, two of the migrants had already lost consciousness. Despite efforts to contact the van’s driver, Al Mustafa, the crew received no response. However, an Australian nurse, Sari Gehle, who was a passenger on the ferry, provided crucial medical assistance during the chaotic rescue. Gehle noted that one man, whom she identified as the defendant, appeared unusually calm, sitting on the ground and scrolling through his mobile phone during the ordeal.
Al Mustafa, originally from Syria and now residing in Swansea after moving to the UK in 2011, has denied the charge of assisting unlawful immigration. The trial continues as more evidence is presented.