by Sam Lennon

A teenage illegal immigrant was killed by the lorry he had used to smuggle himself into Britain.

Fifteen-year-old Dastan Miraudali's head was crushed under one of the giant wheels as he tried to get off at Ashford Truck Stop, an inquest heard.

It is thought the Iraqi had been riding on an axle when the articulated Scania travelled from the Continent that same day.

Central and South East Kent Coroner Rachel Redman said: "He is likely to have stowed on the lorry.

"He thought it had stopped and tried to get off and the lorry overran him.

"It is my opinion that there was nothing the driver could have done to avoid this."

Dastan was thought to have been with two other immigrants arriving at the truck stop in Sevington last December 15.

He had been crushed when driver John Smith was parking.

The inquest at Folkestone Magistrates Court heard Mr Smith had first reversed into a parking bay.

Dastan assumed he had completely stopped and tried to get off.

But Mr Smith, not knowing the boy was there, then moved slowly forward to straighten the vehicle and it was then the tragedy happened.

It is thought Dastan had boarded the lorry either at Utrecht in Holland or Dunkirk, where it had stopped before going on the Channel Tunnel at Sangatte.

Mr Smith told the inquest, in a statement, that he had been driving a refrigerated trailer of frozen fish, having loaded at Bremenhaven in Germany that day.

He then drove to Utrecht in Holland, where he took a break and next stopped at Dunkirk for fuel.

He drove on to the Channel Tunnel and then non-stop to Sevington, where he was approached by another trucker.

Mr Smith said: "He came running up and said when I had stopped at the gates an immigrant had climbed from under my trailer."

Mr Smith had reversed into a parking bay and then moved forward in first gear.

He said: "Someone shouted at me in broken English: 'You've killed him."

"He pointed at the front axle of the trailer and said 'you killed him.' "

Crash investigator PC David Kirk said Dastan had been run over by the trailer's front offside wheel and Mr Smith had been moving very slowly at the time.

Dastan died from multiple injuries and Mrs Redman recorded a verdict of accidental death.

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