A man who attempted to smuggle a group of illegal immigrants into the country on an inflatable boat has been jailed for five years.

Romanian Marion Badea, 30, was discovered on board the inflatable motor boat in the English Channel, off the coast near Dover, just before 10am on June 28 this year after a lifeboat was sent to rescue it following engine failure.

With him were a group of eight Afghan nationals who were trying to enter the country illegally. They included seven men, aged between 20 and 35, and a 16-year-old boy.

The vessel was towed into Dover harbour by a Border Force Cutter after which Badea was arrested and subsequently charged with assisting unlawful entry into the UK.

Badea denied the charge but was convicted and sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, December 19 following a two-day trial which started on December 17.

Badea has previously been convicted and served nine months for a similar offence in a French prison in 2013.

All those found on board the boat were removed from the UK apart from the teenager who was transferred into the care of social services.

Assistant director David Fairclough, from the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations team, said: “This was an unsophisticated and brazen attempt to smuggle illegal immigrants into the UK.

“Thanks to the excellent interception made by the cutter patrol boat, and the subsequent investigation by our specialist criminal investigations team, Badea is now behind bars.

“Anyone thinking of doing the same should be warned that our specialist teams have the capability and resources to catch you and bring you to justice.”

The Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations team is a specialist unit of seconded police officers working alongside warranted Home Office immigration enforcement officers to investigate organised immigration crime.

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.