A TEENAGE refugee desperate to flee to the UK to escape a horrifying terrorist group was crushed by a lorry he had secretly slipped under .

Mohammed Hassan feared his family would be killed by extremist group ISIS as the radicals edged closer to his Iraqi home, Oxford Coroner’s Court heard.

The 17-year-old managed to illegally enter the country but died when the HGV he was clutching to reversed and killed him in Banbury on April 1 last year.

Speaking after yesterday’s inquest, his uncle Shamal Silah raised concerns about the UK immigration system, claiming agencies must do more to support persecuted young people fleeing their homes for a better life abroad.

He recalled his shock after hearing of Mohammed’s tragic death, adding: “The family are still not alright. His mother is still crying and she is very bad. He was 17, it’s very hard to forget.”

Mohammed hid plans to flee to the UK from his parents, instead telling them he was spending a week in Turkey, the inquest heard.

He believed the only way he could save his family from persecution was by claiming asylum in the UK and bringing his family to join him.

The teenager travelled to Dunkirk, northern France, with hopes of crossing the border, after making his way through Greece and Germany.

He was uncovered hiding in a lorry with five others and detained by the UK Border Force for four hours before being handed over to French authorities on March 28.

Three days later, he clung onto to the axle of the HGV for three hours as driver Cristian Turda made his way to Beaumont Road-based automotive supplier Magna to deliver three crates of car parts from Romania.

The driver stopped outside the wrong entrance to the site, putting his hazard lights on and checking his mirrors before reversing, Mr Turda told the inquest in a statement.

But he felt a ‘bump’, rushing out to find Mohammed lying in front of the vehicle.

Mohammed was pronounced dead at the scene, with consultant pathologist Professor Ian Roberts disclosing he died of ‘severe crush injuries’.

Collision investigator Gary Baldwin told the inquest the space on top of the axle would have been ‘incredibly cramped and very uncomfortable’ in near freezing temperatures.

He added: “I can’t think of a more difficult thing to do.”

Recording a narrative conclusion, Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said Mohammed was not detected by border control officers as the lorry travelled through checks in France, including the UK control zone, as well as at Dover.

He said Mohammed was ‘probably’ trying to free himself from the lorry or may have fallen before he was run over and killed accidentally.

The coroner went on to say he intends to issue a report to Home Office ministers, highlighting more training and guidance needs to be given to border agencies dealing with ‘unaccompanied minors’.