Man who tried to smuggle Vietnamese migrants in automotive boot is jailed

A British man who crammed a woman and child into a tiny car boot with little room to move or breathe has been jailed, the Home Office has said.

Leon Leslie, 39, stashed the Vietnamese migrants – a 14-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman – into the back of his hired Kia and tried to smuggle them to the UK.

Border Force agents found the pair wedged in the boot when they stopped the car in Coquelles, France, on April 16 last year.

Leslie, from Birmingham, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration into the UK.

Leon Leslie, 39 (pictured) attempted to smuggle to Vietnamese migrants into the UK in his car boot

Border Force agents found the pair wedged in the boot when they stopped the car in Coquelles, France, on April last year

Leslie refused to offer any explanation as to why the woman and girl were hiding in his vehicle when questioned by officials

The blue Kia used by Leslie to attempt to smuggle the two migrants across the Channel

When questioned, he refused to offer any explanation as to why the woman and girl were in his car, the Home Office said.

Leslie was jailed for three years at Canterbury Crown Court On Thursday, having pleaded guilty.

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.

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