French man, 31, is jailed for smuggling three Kurdish Iraqis into Britain


French smuggler, 31, is jailed for 14 months after being caught with three Kurdish Iraqis hidden in horrifically ‘unsanitary conditions’ inside caravan on ferry into Portsmouth

  • Jean Dufour was offered £6k by a Kurdish refugee to transport men to the UK 
  • Dufour, 31, was caught by Border Force officers in Portsmouth on January 13
  • Officers found three Kurdish men living in ‘unsanitary conditions’ in the caravan
  • He was jailed for 14 months after admitting facilitating illegal immigration

A 31-year-old man has been jailed for smuggling three Kurdish Iraqis into Britain hidden in ‘unsanitary’ conditions inside a caravan.

French national Jean Dufour borrowed his parents’ silver Citroen C4 and hired a caravan after being offered more than £6,000 by a Kurdish refugee in France to transport the men into Britain.

But he was caught by Border Force officers as soon as he arrived in Portsmouth at 7pm on January 13.

Jean Dufour (pictured), 31, has been jailed for 14 months after smuggling three Kurdish Iraqis into Britain hidden in a caravan

Jean Dufour (pictured), 31, has been jailed for 14 months after smuggling three Kurdish Iraqis into Britain hidden in a caravan

They discovered the men in ‘unsanitary conditions’ in the back of the vehicle, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

Dufour immediately confessed to people smuggling – and even said he had been prepared to do it again.

He accepted the money offer while he was a cash-strapped apprentice at Michelin, according to his barrister Daniel Reilly.

The French national was caught by Border Force officers, who found the refugees living in 'unsanitary conditions' in the back, as soon as Dufour arrived in Portsmouth at 7pm on January 13

The French national was caught by Border Force officers, who found the refugees living in 'unsanitary conditions' in the back, as soon as Dufour arrived in Portsmouth at 7pm on January 13

The French national was caught by Border Force officers, who found the refugees living in ‘unsanitary conditions’ in the back, as soon as Dufour arrived in Portsmouth at 7pm on January 13

The defendant, who won a full contract, still carried on with the agreement through a sense of ‘obligation’.  

He was asked for help in smuggling people a year before he finally made the trip, the court heard.   

Dufour’s parents wept as Recorder Noel Casey jailed Dufour, who has no previous convictions, for 14 months after he admitted facilitating illegal immigration.

Dufour had borrowed his parents silver Citroen C4 (pictured) and hired a caravan to carry out the smuggling, where he treated people 'as cargo' and expressed interest in them only in terms of 'financial gain', said Dave Fairclough, deputy director at Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigation team

Dufour had borrowed his parents silver Citroen C4 (pictured) and hired a caravan to carry out the smuggling, where he treated people 'as cargo' and expressed interest in them only in terms of 'financial gain', said Dave Fairclough, deputy director at Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigation team

Dufour had borrowed his parents silver Citroen C4 (pictured) and hired a caravan to carry out the smuggling, where he treated people ‘as cargo’ and expressed interest in them only in terms of ‘financial gain’, said Dave Fairclough, deputy director at Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation team

Ben Youlden, Border Force assistant director, said: ‘It was clear from the unsanitary conditions inside the caravan that the men had been hidden inside for some time.’

Dave Fairclough, deputy director at Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: ‘Criminals like Dufour treat people as cargo and are interested in them only in terms of their financial value.’

'It was clear from the unsanitary conditions inside the caravan that the men had been hidden inside for some time', Ben Youlden, Border Force assistant director, told the court (file image)

'It was clear from the unsanitary conditions inside the caravan that the men had been hidden inside for some time', Ben Youlden, Border Force assistant director, told the court (file image)

‘It was clear from the unsanitary conditions inside the caravan that the men had been hidden inside for some time’, Ben Youlden, Border Force assistant director, told the court (file image)