She said she had thrown her phone away, that she had destroyed it

Chandika Walpita Asylum case worker

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Miss Guo called case worker Chandika Walpita on the morning the asylum seekers were due to arrive at Dover, to ask if he could take on all 60 asylum claims.

She later called him in a "hysterical" state to say that her mobile phone number had been found on one of the bodies.

Earlier in the trial, the court had heard that Miss Guo's number was found on 27 of the bodies and on 16 items discarded in the back of the lorry.

'Destroyed phone'

Mr Walpita told the court that Miss Guo first called him shortly after 0800GMT on 19 June, when the immigrants were due to enter the country.

"She told me that she had been instructed to ask about some Chinese asylum seekers who had arrived in the country," he said.

"She said that there were 60 of them and asked whether I wanted to represent them. She had never said such numbers before.

Lorries are searched daily for stowaways

"I said I wouldn't be able to take the whole lot but I said I might be able to take half."

Miss Guo called him back 14 minutes later to say she was unsure what was happening with the immigrants.

But he told the court he did not hear from her again until after midnight on 20 June.

"She said that they had found her mobile phone number on one of the persons who had been found dead in the container," he said.

"She asked me what to do and I said I had no idea about criminal matters but that I could ask somebody who did.

"She said she had thrown her phone away, that she had destroyed it.

"She was a bit hysterical so I thought I wouldn't inquire any further as to why."

Miss Guo called Mr Walpita once more in an anxious state, the court heard, to say she had been unable to contact the legal representative he had recommended.

He said: "She was anxious about something, worried."

Mr Walpita said Miss Guo had asked him to take on the asylum application cases of 80 Chinese illegal immigrants between December 1999 and February 2000.

The trial continues.