Stowaways.
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bosses jailed
II Two men who masterminded the journey in which 58 Chinese stowaways suffocated inside an airtight semi have been jailed for nine years.
A Dutch court heard how Gursel Ozcan and Hacir Demi were ringleaders of a gang which had organised at least three other crossings to the UK by illegal migrants in the six months leading up to the tragedy. They were found guilty of gross negligence over the deaths but were cleared of manslaughter.
Five of the seven other gang members on trial were jailed for between 30 months and seven years after being accused of manslaughter, belonging to a criminal organisation involved in trafficking in illegal immigrants and forgery. The two remaining defendants were acquitted.
The migrants had travelled 8,000 miles from China before being handed over to Dutch and Turkish criminals operating in the Netherlands. They were being smuggled by ferry from Rotterdam. via Zebrugge, to Dover, when they died.
The court rejected a claim by the defence that police were partly responsible for the deaths because they had known about the trip but had not intervened because of an active British investigation.
III Last month (April) Perry Wacker, the Dutchman driving the lorry, was jailed for 14 years by a British court after being convicted of manslaughter.