A desperate illegal immigrant who clung to the underside of a lorry to enter Britain was just seconds away from realising his goal of starting a new life in the UK.

But Iraqi Kurd Nechervan Hassan leapt from the truck before it had parked properly and was crushed beneath its wheels at Bridge-based fruit importer Gomez.

An inquest into his death was told the 29-year-old may have thought the lorry had come to a full stop, only to find it continued to reposition itself in the dock in the yard at Highland Court.

The hearing on Thursday heard the articulated lorry ran over his chest and neck in the early hours of August 9 last year.

In a statement read out at Canterbury Coroners’ Court, the Spanish driver of the Portuguese-registered lorry said he had been manoeuvring it in when he was aware of someone shouting “help”.

"His actions were inherently dangerous and could be expected to result in serious injury or death..." - Coroner Roger Hatch

He looked out of the cab to see Mr Hassan lying on the ground and another man standing next to him, who was hysterical.

The driver, who had driven the Iveco through France from Spain and entered England via the Channel Tunnel, said he remained in the cab out of fear.

Robert Dobson, a driver from Herne Bay, was also in the yard that morning and spoke by phone to police, who arrived later.

Sgt Christopher Wade and forensic collision expert Robert Giles investigated the incident.

Mr Giles said: “Mr Hassan and the other man had been attempting to enter the UK unlawfully by clinging to the underside of the lorry.

“The deceased and his colleague were trespassers and were extricating themselves from under the lorry when the accident occurred.

“No blame can be attached to the driver of the lorry. He was in an area where he would not have expected to see anyone.”

Paramedics who attended the Gomez yard tried and failed to revive Mr Hassan.

A post-mortem revealed he died from multiple injuries.

Coroner Roger Hatch said: “He had travelled to the UK under a lorry. His actions were inherently dangerous and could be expected to result in serious injury or death.

“He died as the lorry manoeuvred and backed in. The driver was unaware this activity was taking place.”

Mr Hatch recorded a verdict of accidental death.

After Mr Hassan’s death, Gomez managing director Jim Parmenter said his firm’s trucks are routinely targeted by illegal immigrants trying to enter the UK.

He said: “It was obviously very tragic. But since the French authorities bulldozed the camps at Calais earlier this year, it is happening more.

“The number of illegal immigrants coming in is out of control. We used to have an incident every three to four months. In the last month, it’s soared. It seems to be every few days."

Gomez declined to comment further after the inquest.

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