A handyman accused of trafficking seven Vietnamese migrants across the Channel in a freezer truck has appeared in court.

Four of the migrants remain in hospital and one is in critical condition after arriving at Newhaven Port on Friday, Brighton Magistrates’ Court heard.

Anas Al Mustafa, 42, was charged over the weekend after migrants were rescued from a van on board the Seven Sisters Dieppe to Newhaven ferry.

Six people were taken to hospital from the quayside.

A seventh Vietnamese person who was arrested on Friday on suspicion of entering the UK illegally was de-arrested and taken to hospital over the weekend.

Father-of-two, Al Mustafa of Heather Crescent, Swansea in Wales, is charged with conspiring with others to assist illegal entry to the UK.

The Argus: Emergency services at Newhaven Port last FridayEmergency services at Newhaven Port last Friday (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Assisted by an Arabic interpreter, Al Mustafa was not asked to enter a plea when he appeared before District Judge Amanda Kelly.

David Holman, prosecuting, told the court: "The van the defendant was responsible for was driven onto a ferry.

"While still on the ferry, the seven people in a hide within the van escaped by breaking a wall.

"This triggered an emergency situation and most of them went to hospital.

"Four of those remain in hospital.

"One of them is in a critical condition.

"All seven are from Vietnam.

"They alerted staff by banging and were trying to break out.

"People were trying to break in and they were trying to break out."

The court heard Al Mustafa has had permanent residence in the UK after marrying a Greek national in 2017.

Judge Kelly told Al Mustafa he would be remanded into custody.

"Had others not heard the desperate knocks for help coming from that vehicle, then those seven people may well have lost their lives."

One French passenger, who was heading to Brighton with his family for a holiday, told The Argus that the migrants were “suffocating” and banging on the walls of the vehicle to get out.

Ferry operator DFDS, which runs services between Newhaven and Dieppe in Normandy, northern France, confirmed on Friday that migrants were found on board the Seven Sisters vessel and said immediate medical attention was provided.

Al Mustafa was remanded into custody and will appear at Lewes Crown Court for a plea hearing on March 18.