‘Illegal’ immigrant found dead in the back of a lorry after being suffocated by its load of catalogues
A SUSPECTED illegal immigrant has been found dead in the back of a lorry after being suffocated by its load of catalogues.
The body of a man was discovered by the HGV driver after it pulled into a lorry park near Folkestone, Kent at around 8am today.
Emergency services descended on a lorry park this morning after café owners called police when the driver pulled the body from the truck.
The Hungarian driver is believed to have discovered several people in the back of his truck at Calais, but Border Force failed to flush out all of the suspected migrants.
Again when the truck was checked at the border in Dover, officers failed to find the stowaway.
But when the lorry arrived at the park at around 8am this morning, the suspected migrant was discovered wrapped in plastic-like cling film with dozens of magazines on top of him.
Cops believe the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had travelled from France and are working to identify the body.
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Café owner Patrick Breen, 65, said: "The truck driver had reported immigrants at Calais and police and found several of them hiding in the back.
"But one of the migrants had concealed himself so cleverly he wasn't found and even when dogs searched the truck at Dover the guy still wasn't discovered.
"When he drove into our lorry park he came running across to my wife Julie and he took her over to the lorry where she saw a boot and a leg of a man.
"He was covered head to toe in plastic filming, like the cling film you get around building pallets and one of the other lorry drivers got into the back with the driver and uncovered the body.
"The driver who was foreign I think from Hungary asked my wife to call police.
"The man was covered partially in magazines which I think he had placed on top of him to try and conceal himself."
Firefighters were also called to the scene at 8.29am in, and helped police remove the lorry's load to gain access to the body "using a forklift truck".
A Kent Police spokesperson said: "Officers and the ambulance service attended and a man in the rear of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It is believed the lorry had travelled from France and inquiries are on-going to identify the man and ascertain the cause of the death."
They added that no arrests have yet been made
Kent Fire and Rescue said: "Kent Fire and Rescue assisted Kent Police by helping to remove a load from the rear of the lorry using a forklift."
The tragic discovery comes as pictures of the first migrant children arriving in the UK from the Calais Jungle camp yesterday sparked debate over their ages.
Many of the lads, who all claim to be under 18, sported noticeable facial hair and matched the border officials escorting them for size.
The 14 boys — believed to be from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Sudan — will be reunited with relatives already living in Britain.
But scores on social media suggested they are older than the 14 to 17 range given by the Home Office.
Iain McGregor wrote: “Does the British Foreign Office think we are stupid? I was expecting kids under the age of 16, not over the age of 21.”
David Moore said: “Lie about your age and you get a ride into the land of milk and honey. Don’t think they will be asked for ID at the pub.”
Some of the boys waved and gave the thumbs up yesterday as they were escorted to the Home Office building in Croydon, South London.
They were later seen getting into two minibuses and being driven to secure temporary accommodation until their applications are finalised.
Iemal Khan, 14, was seen embracing brother Asif, 25, at the centre.
They had not seen each other since they lived in war-torn Afghanistan 11 years ago.
Chef Asif, of Hounslow, West London, said: “It was amazing to hug and kiss him. It has been such a long time. I say a big thanks to the UK Government.”
Lawyers from the charity Citizens UK Safe Passage said Iemal and the other boys will not be allowed home with their relatives until due diligence has been carried out.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The transfer process is not straightforward. We need to make sure the essential checks have been made for their safety and the safety of others.”
Scores more children are expected to arrive from the Jungle this week.
Nearly 180 kids living unaccompanied at the camp in Calais have a right to live in the UK with family already here.
Stephen Hale, chief executive of the charity Refugee Action, said: "It's fantastic news that, at last, vulnerable children in Calais will be reunited with their families in Britain.
"These children must have the support they need to rebuild their lives when they arrive."
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