Andrew Stainton and Denice Blendell have been jailed for their role in illegally transporting five Vietnamese migrants concealed under rubbish in an unregistered van at the Eurotunnel terminal, highlighting the extreme risks of people smuggling.
Andrew Stainton, aged 48, and Denice Blendell, aged 62, have been sentenced in connection with an attempted human smuggling incident involving five Vietnamese migrants. The two were apprehended in March 2022 when Border Force officers conducted a search of their unregistered van at the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles, France.
The migrants were discovered concealed beneath a heap of rubbish, which included an old mattress, various clothing items, and heavy motorbike parts. This form of concealment highlights the extreme measures taken by people-smugglers to evade detection by authorities.
Stainton, a resident of Burringham Road in Scunthorpe, faced a more severe penalty and was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. Blendell, who shares the same address, received a shorter sentence of one year and eight months.
The actions of Stainton and Blendell have drawn attention to the ongoing issue of human trafficking and the lengths to which traffickers will go to transport individuals across borders illegally, often putting lives at risk. The case underscores the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in combating human smuggling operations across Europe.
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
5
Notes:
Narrative references March 2022 arrests but lacks clear publication date. Requires verification of whether this is new reporting or recycled content.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
No direct quotes requiring verification. All statements appear as factual reporting rather than attributed claims.
Source reliability
Score:
3
Notes:
Narrative originates from Google RSS feed without clear publisher attribution. Unable to verify editorial standards without primary source.
Plausability check
Score:
8
Notes:
Core claims align with known human smuggling methods and sentencing patterns. No technical impossibilities detected, though specific details would require court record verification.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
While the core narrative aligns with established human smuggling patterns, the unverified source and lack of temporal markers require caution. The absence of direct quotes reduces fact-checking complexity, but the publication's reliability remains uncertain without further corroboration.
