A people smuggler has been given a jail sentence for attempting to bring a Vietnamese woman into Britain by cramming her into the dashboard of his car.
Jozef Balog, a Slovakian national, was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to two-and-a-half years in prison for assisting unlawful immigration.
Startling photos, taken by immigration officers, show the woman wedged inside a tiny, custom-built hideaway behind the Vauxhall Vectra’s glovebox.
In June 2022, the British-registered vehicle was intercepted by Border Force at the UK Control Zone in Coquelles, Northern France.
Balog, 33, claimed to be returning to his home in Manchester after visiting relatives in his home country, according to the Home Office.
But when Border Force officers searched the front passenger side, they spotted that the carpet was further forward into the footwell than expected.
They then started dismantling the front of the car to remove the glove box.
To their astonishment, they found the Vietnamese woman hidden in cramped conditions behind the dashboard.
Steve Blackwell, Deputy Director of Criminal and Financial Investigations at the Home Office, said: “This is a truly shocking case that shows the callous disregard these criminals have for the lives and safety of the vulnerable people they exploit.
“We have once again shown that those who seek to exploit our border will be caught and brought to justice.
“I am grateful to the officers who identified this horrific incident and brought the case to a positive conclusion.”
The car was said to have been modified and parts removed to create the tiny concealment.
The Vietnamese woman was identified, deemed to be an illegal entrant, and served with the “requisite paperwork,” the Home Office said.
It added that Balog pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration in June 2022 and had been remanded in custody for the 40 months since so his sentence has already been served.
Vietnamese nationals found to have been illegally trafficked into Britain are often forced to work in the sex trade, beauty salons and nail bars.
They have been found to be paid very low wages, sometimes having their documents taken off them, and at times are victims of violence.
A people trafficker was jailed for 12 years and seven months last July over the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants who died in a lorry container.
Marius Draghici, 50, from Romania, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
The Old Bailey heard how the bodies were discovered on an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, in October 2019.
The hearing was told that conditions in the trailer must have been “unspeakable”.
