On the fifth floor of Agrigento's court building, held in a metal cage, is a 30- year-old man who has been sentenced to spend the next 30 years of his life in prison.

That man is Mouhamud Elmi Muhidin - found guilty of trafficking almost 400 people to their deaths in the perishing waters of the Mediterranean.

His crimes are so serious that his sentence sets a record in Italy for such offences.

The offences themselves set another dreadful record as the greatest loss of life in the recent history of Mediterranean migration.

His victims were mainly Eritreans and Somalis who had paid thousands to get safely to Italy - only to die en route.

Survivors told how they had paid 3000 dollars for their fare, but were then held captive -some tortured and others raped - until being charged another one thousand dollars to board boats out of Tripoli.

Those boats turned out to be little more than dinghies, and they were ordered aboard at gunpoint. Shortly into the journey they began sinking - 366 people died in all.

Today I met with prosecutor Renato di Natale at his office in Agrigento.

He's responsible for all those who come ashore off Sicily's coast - dead or alive.

He has a green file for each. At the moment he has 17,000 files and only 13 people to work on them.

Weary and surrounded by documents he told me how hard his job now is.

I also met with Ados, a young Nigerian man who fled Libya in November - he knew the risks but took them anyway. Though happy to be in Italy he regrets the journey.

Tougher sentences for those who traffic people across these seas, and tales of peril from those who have already made the journey, may deter some but desperation is a strong motivator.

As a result, many more are likely to perish in these waters before any solution is found.