People smuggler who stuffed Vietnamese woman behind dashboard of car is jailed

16 January 2024 , 17:23

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The woman smuggled in the car by the Slovakian national (Image: PA)

A people smuggler who stuffed an innocent Vietnamese woman into the dashboard of his car has been jailed over what the Home Office described as "a truly shocking case."

Jozef Balog, 33, was given a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Canterbury Crown Court today after admitting a charge of assisting unlawful immigration. According to the Home Office, the Slovakian national was stopped by the UK Border Force in Coquelles, northern France in June 2022, when he claimed to be returning to his Manchester home after visiting relatives.

But canny officers who searched his Vauxhall Vectra noticed the carpet was further forward into the footwell than usual. A search revealed the glovebox had been removed and found the unnamed Vietnamese woman cramped behind the dashboard.

And horrifying images show the shoeless woman - wearing jeans and a jumper - contorted to fit in the space. She was miraculously unharmed when she was freed from the car. To fit her into the cramped space, the passenger airbag had been removed, along with the car's air-conditioning and heating system.

Jozef Balog who has been jailed for attempting to bring a Vietnamese woman into the UK (PA)

The fuse and relay boards had also been moved and tied into an upper area behind the passenger-side dashboard, while water pipes from the engine had been re-routed. A makeshift metal support had also been installed behind the driver's side of the dashboard.

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His relative, believed to be an aunt, was also charged with the same offence but was cleared by a jury following a trial last week. The prosecution had alleged she was "jointly" involved in the people-smuggling operation rather than being "exploited and or recruited" by 33-year-old Balog. The court heard the Slovakian had moved with his wife and their children to live with his parents in the Old Trafford area of Manchester in May 2022.

Philip Hill, defending, said the former steel mill worker was offered the deposit on a two-bedroom flat plus two months' rent in return for assisting in the smuggling plan. The lawyer claimed that Balog did not know "the exact nature" of the operation. Judge Simon Taylor KC said he had acted "selfishly to meet his family's needs rather than out of pure greed", and that his role was "subordinate" to others higher up the chain.

The hideaway where Jozef Balog attempted to bring a Vietnamese woman (PA)

Home Office deputy director of criminal and financial investigations, Steve Blackwell, 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."

The smuggler has already served the jail term since he pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration in June 2022, and was kept in custody for 40 months. The Vietnamese woman - deemed to be an illegal entrant - was identified and served with the necessary paperwork.

Rachel Hagan