A smuggler who hid a Vietnamese child inside a suitcase in the boot of his car has today been jailed for 18 months.

The 16-year-old boy who was in a life threatening condition was discovered by Border Force officers during vehicle checks at the Port of Dover in May.

Andrei Iancu, 20, from Buzau in Romania, was subsequently arrested and then charged following an investigation by Kent Police.

Iancu pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggling a person into the UK, thereby facilitating the commission of a breach immigration law.

Appearing for sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court today, the court heard how the silver Skoda Octavia that Iancu was driving was stopped at the inbound search area of the port, for vehicles arriving from France, at about 8.30pm on Wednesday, May 30.

Border Force officers opened the boot of the vehicle, which at first glance appeared to only contain two large packets of crisps and several bags containing items of clothing.

However, when the bags were moved an arm could be seen protruding from within a partially opened suitcase.

The arm belonged to a 16-year-old Vietnamese boy who was released from the case before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

His condition has since improved after initially being described as life-threatening.

Detective Inspector Bill Thornton said: "People smuggling is a serious offence and those responsible will often go to great lengths to ensure they are not caught and sent to prison.

"It should go without saying that hiding someone in a suitcase for even a short amount of time is incredibly dangerous.

"On this occasion the boy was also in the boot of a car during a cross-Channel journey, and is extremely fortunate to have survived his ordeal.

"Iancu pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and the length of his prison sentence reflects that. He can count himself lucky he does not have the boy’s death on his hands because then he would be spending a much longer period behind bars."