Individuals Imprisoned for Attempted Smuggling of Afghan Family into UK

Two individuals involved in human smuggling have received prison sentences after attempting to transport a family of five from Afghanistan into the United Kingdom, concealed within a van filled with refuse. Border Force officers located the family in Coquelles, France, in August 2018, at which point the youngest child was found to be “extremely unwell and drifting in and out of consciousness.” Following a trial held at Maidstone Crown Court in October, Josh Mallaburn, aged 33, and Liam Cronin, aged 34, were found guilty of assisting unlawful immigration by transporting the family. On Friday, the businessman and the bricklayer, both residents of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, each received a sentence of three years and three months in prison. During the sentencing, Recorder Nicola Makanjuola stated that their actions “threatened UK borders” and emphasized that penalties for this type of offense are “heavy,” serving as a deterrent to others. She expressed certainty that the “one-off incident” was undertaken for commercial gain, despite the absence of evidence regarding the exact financial benefit received by the pair. The judge further noted that a factor in reducing their sentences from an initial four years in prison was that the two men, both fathers, had experienced the legal proceedings “hanging over their heads for six years.” They are scheduled to serve half of their sentence in custody and the remaining half on licence. The sentencing procedure had been postponed in October due to malfunctioning alarms within the court building, which prevented defendants from being brought into custody.