Men jailed for trying to smuggle family into UK

Two people smugglers who tried to bring a family of five from Afghanistan into the UK hidden in a rubbish-filled van have been jailed.

The youngest child was "extremely unwell and drifting in and out of consciousness" when the family was discovered by Border Force officers in Coquelles, in France, in August 2018.

Josh Mallaburn, 33, and Liam Cronin, 34, were convicted of assisting unlawful immigration transporting the family following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court in October.

The businessman and bricklayer, both from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, were each sentenced to three years and three months' imprisonment on Friday.

Sentencing them, Recorder Nicola Makanjuola said their offences "threatened UK borders" and that sentences for this crime were "heavy" and intended to deter others.

She said she had no doubt the "one-off incident" was for commercial gain, although there was no evidence how much the pair benefited financially.

The judge added that among the reasons why she had reduced the sentences from four years in prison was that the pair, who are both fathers, had had the proceedings "hanging over their heads for six years".

They will serve half of their sentence in custody and half on licence.

The sentencing had been delayed in October after faulty alarms in the court building meant no defendants could be taken into custody.

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