Inside a hidden bus compartment where seven Vietnamese migrants were found banging and screaming for help while starving for oxygen during the ferry crossing: 43-year-old driver found guilty of people smuggling

These disturbing photos show a small, hidden compartment in a van where seven migrants were found screaming for help because they were lacking oxygen during a cross-Channel ferry crossing.

Anas Al Mustafa, 43, was convicted of assisting illegal migration by smuggling the seven people in a specially adapted van via a ferry between Dieppe, in France, and Newhaven, East Sussex, on February 16.

New photos and videos released today show the claustrophobic space, which was two metres wide, 194cm high and 37cm narrow, meaning the migrants had to stand and were unable to move at all.

The jury at Lewes Crown Court heard how the six men and one woman suffered from oxygen deprivation and dehydration in the hidden space which was “as wide as a human chest”.

The crew of the ship Seven Sisters heard pleas from a van on deck during the voyage and used an axe to break through the fake bulkhead the people were hiding in and free them.

The migrants had to stand and could not move to any extent. The photo shows another photo of the interior of the truck

The discovery at East Sussex harbour prompted a large response from emergency services including ambulances, police and Border Protection.

District Attorney Nick Corsellis KC said: ‘The heat created by seven people in such a small space and the lack of sufficient air/oxygen created an extremely dangerous situation.

“It was undoubtedly this deadly emergency that forced the migrants to desperately call for help.”

Two of the migrants were already unconscious when they were rescued at around 9.20am. The jury was told the entire group was taken to hospital and treated.

None of them had been given water.

An Australian nurse and passenger on the ferry, Sari Gehle, responded to a call for help from the crew during the incident. She described the female victim as “terrified” and gripped her arm tightly while repeatedly saying “Vietnam, Vietnam,” from which she understood the group to be from.

Other male victims she recalled lying on the ground, with one vomiting and another with a cut on his left shoulder. All were given oxygen masks.

During the trial, Al Mustafa, from Swansea, denied knowing they were in the vehicle and told jurors he was “shocked” and “completely numb” by the discovery.

The father of two added that it was “the hardest day of his life”.

The court previously heard how Al Mustafa, who is originally from Syria but moved to the UK in 2010-2011, was introduced to a man called Badr the last time he was in Syria. He said he needed him to do a job for him – driving a van.

Anas Al Mustafa, 43, was convicted of assisting illegal migration by smuggling seven people on February 16

The van was specially adapted for smuggling migrants

Al Mustafa said he had previously been paid £500 to drive the bus to Liverpool for an MOT, but for the job in February he was paid £5,000 to drive the bus to the UK.

The prosecution told police without an interpreter that Al Mustafa had previously been paid £500 to drive the bus to Liverpool for an MOT, but for the February job he was paid £5,000 to drive the bus to the UK.

The jury heard that Al Mustafa told police he didn’t know there were people in the van but because he was given £5,000 he thought ‘maybe this time there will be people in it’.

Mr Corsellis asked the jury to consider whether this constituted a confession, adding: ‘We are of the opinion that the defendant has not told the whole truth about his involvement in human trafficking.’

When asked about the interview, Al Mustafa told jurors through an interpreter that the £5,000 figure was incorrect and that he meant £500.

He also said he did not remember telling police that he thought there might be people in the van and that he did not know why he said that.

Instead, Al Mustafa told the court that he had flown to Amsterdam for a holiday and that he had met Badr at the airport, who suggested that he drive the same van he had used to take the car back to the garage, as there was a problem with the gearbox.

The self-employed construction worker will hear his sentence on September 6.

According to the government, the conviction of Anas Al Mustafa is a “clear signal” to human traffickers.

Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “This appalling incident could easily have ended in tragedy and anyone who was in this criminal’s van is incredibly lucky to be alive.

‘We are sending a clear signal that we will not tolerate this kind of life-threatening activity.

‘Our new Border Security Command will work with partners across Europe to disrupt the business models of criminal smuggling gangs and stop their activities long before they reach the UK.’