Mother of four jailed for people smuggling

One of 12 Vietnamese migrants found in the back of a van Credit: Home Office

A mother of four and her boyfriend who tried to smuggle 12 Vietnamese migrants through the Channel Tunnel into Kent have been sentenced to a total of nearly eight years in prison.

Katy Bethel was heavily pregnant when she was caught at the UK border check in France. Officers found the migrants hidden inside stacks of tyres - in the van driven by her boyfriend.

Katy Bethel, who's 28 and from Gillingham, had pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court but was found guilty last month. She's now been sentenced to two years and nine months - half of which she'll spend in prison.

Her former boyfriend Aaron Harris, who's also 28 and from Gillingham, had pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Aaron Harris was sentenced to five years in prison Credit: Home Office

Abigail Bracken's report includes an interview with David Fairclough from the Home Office and the Conservative MP for Dover, Charlie Elphicke.