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| Men jailed after 29 immigrants found in van | Men jailed after 29 immigrants found in van |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Four men have been jailed for their roles in bringing 29 immigrants to the country. | Four men have been jailed for their roles in bringing 29 immigrants to the country. |
| The Vietnamese nationals including 17 children were found in the back of a removal van on the M5 last year. | |
| They had been seen getting into the back of the van at Newlyn, Cornwall after getting off a 42ft (13m) yacht. | They had been seen getting into the back of the van at Newlyn, Cornwall after getting off a 42ft (13m) yacht. |
| Frank Walling, Glen Bennett and Jon Ransom were jailed for four-and-a-half years at Truro Crown Court, while Keith Plummer was sentenced to 40 months. | Frank Walling, Glen Bennett and Jon Ransom were jailed for four-and-a-half years at Truro Crown Court, while Keith Plummer was sentenced to 40 months. |
| Walling, 72, from Colne, Lancashire, owned the yacht and had sailed it from France with 55-year-old Bennett, from Burnley. | Walling, 72, from Colne, Lancashire, owned the yacht and had sailed it from France with 55-year-old Bennett, from Burnley. |
| Plummer, 62, from Sheerness, Kent, hired and drove the removal van after travelling to Cornwall in convoy with 63-year-old Ranson, also from Sheerness. | Plummer, 62, from Sheerness, Kent, hired and drove the removal van after travelling to Cornwall in convoy with 63-year-old Ranson, also from Sheerness. |
| Ransom was found guilty of assisting unlawful immigration after a trial last year, while the other three defendants admitted the same charge. | Ransom was found guilty of assisting unlawful immigration after a trial last year, while the other three defendants admitted the same charge. |
| One of the adults in the van has been deported but 11 others have disappeared, along with at least three children, the court heard. | One of the adults in the van has been deported but 11 others have disappeared, along with at least three children, the court heard. |
| Judge Robert Longford told the defendants they were "trading in human misery". | Judge Robert Longford told the defendants they were "trading in human misery". |
| He said: "This was a well organised, for-profit operation. In that van, being carted about like freight, were 29 living breathing, desperate human beings whose plight you cared not one jot for." | He said: "This was a well organised, for-profit operation. In that van, being carted about like freight, were 29 living breathing, desperate human beings whose plight you cared not one jot for." |
| The yacht "Johann Sebastian" had sailed from Roscoff in France, and poor weather conditions delayed the journey meaning they arrived during daylight hours and locals contacted the police. | The yacht "Johann Sebastian" had sailed from Roscoff in France, and poor weather conditions delayed the journey meaning they arrived during daylight hours and locals contacted the police. |
| The vessel was described in court as being "dilapidated". | The vessel was described in court as being "dilapidated". |
| The van was stopped by police near Cullompton, in Devon, later in the morning of 12 April. | The van was stopped by police near Cullompton, in Devon, later in the morning of 12 April. |
| Officers lifted the shutters and found 29 people sitting on the floor. | Officers lifted the shutters and found 29 people sitting on the floor. |