Disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions in West Lothian will take the forefront in a new project examining potential discrimination people face trying to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
11.05.2022 - 16:51 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Five people smugglers who locked desperate migrants inside 'coffin-like hides' have been jailed for a combined total of 24 years and two months, the Home Office said. The gang members were sentenced following a trial at Reading Crown Court on May 9.
Paramjeet Singh Baweja, 50, and Viljit Singh Khurana, 45, organised the illegal passage of 35 Afghan refugees, including children as young as two and one person with physical disabilities, into the UK. The refugees were concealed within purpose-built wooden hides which were screwed into place.
The hides were fitted into vans, which were then driven through French, Belgian, and UK ports. Some migrants were only discovered after they were heard shouting for help.
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The hides, which were surrounded by furniture loaded into the back of the vans, were used to conceal up to seven people each journey. One group of refugees were discovered "while shouting for their lives" at the point of being unloaded, the Home Office said.
Baweja and Khurana pleaded guilty to charges relating to the purchase of the vans and co-ordinating between drivers and minders. Baweja was jailed for six years and nine months, while Khurana was given a six-year sentence.
Harmohan Singh, 41, and Manmohan Singh Wadhwa, 57, were also sentenced in connection with the case. They were found to be the "minders" who escorted the vans and drivers, and were both jailed for three years and four months.
Romanian national Dumitru Bacelan, 29, pleaded guilty to charges relating to the recruitment and organising of drivers. His role also included booking hotels and travel around the UK and Europe.
Minister for Justice and Tackling
Disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions in West Lothian will take the forefront in a new project examining potential discrimination people face trying to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
A dyslexic dad-to-be who kept Ayrshire residents connected in the wake of Storm Arwen last year has been named Openreach’s Engineer of the Year 2022.
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Poundbury is, literally, The Town That Prince Charles Built. A new development, the first foundations of which were set down in 1993, it is HRH’s vision for a better Britain. His aim was to create a community rather than a housing estate, somewhere providing a job for everyone and, with his eco-goals in mind, where walking is more important than driving.
Hallmark Channel has some exciting movies coming this summer and we have the “Summer Nights” lineup for you to see here!