Girl and woman wedged into the back of a car in attempt to cross English Channel

A woman and a girl were wedged into the boot of a car by a man who tried to smuggle them across the Channel into the UK.

The 14-year old and 20-year old Vietnamese nationals were crammed into a hire vehicle where they had little room to move or breathe.

Border Force officers stopped the vehicle in Coquelles, France where they made the discovery.

30-year old Leon Lorenzo Leslie, from Edgbaston, Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration into the UK.

He refused to explain why the pair were stashed inside the car.

At Canterbury Crown Court, Leslie was sentenced to three years in prison.

Home Office Criminal Investigation Officer Nadia Kehayova said: "This criminal crammed a young woman and a child inside his car boot with little room to move or even breathe, showing total disregard for their safety.

"The sole priority of these criminals is financial gain, at the expense of those they exploit under false promises of a better life in the UK.

"I am delighted our teams have stopped this criminal from succeeding.

"We will continue to work tirelessly to secure our borders and clamp down on the people who heartlessly endanger vulnerable people to make money."

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