A restaurant worker in the industrial estate, who did not want to be named, said: "There's a lot of police and forensics. mike gibbins cause of death; is neil norman any relation to barry norman; new fairfield first selectman salary; hershey red azalea care; spring boot rest api return list of objects; peter and philippa mitchell; skagit valley park ranger academy; recent arrests in torrington, ct; least intelligent celebrities; saenz v roe strict scrutiny He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. The victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof but only managed to dent the interior. [80], Three other men were sentenced for conspiring to facilitate unlawful immigration: lorry driver Christopher Kennedy was sentenced to seven years, pickup driver Valentin Calota was sentenced to four and a half years and Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga was sentenced to three years. Robinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. Sentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney said: "I have no doubt that the conspiracy was a sophisticated, long-running and profitable one to smuggle mainly Vietnamese people across the channel.". Vo Van Hong was found guilty of leading a cross-Channel people-trafficking operation that has been linked to the deaths of dozens of people inside the truck that was found on an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, in October 2019. [7][10][11], The Zeebrugge port chairman said it was "highly unlikely" the migrants entered the trailer there, and that breaking the seal, loading 39 people and resealing the trailer without being noticed would be "virtually impossible". [85], Extra UK immigration officers are to be deployed at the Belgian border port of Zeebrugge and more Border Force staff will operate at Purfleet as a result of the incident. In his evidence, Nica said Robinson told him: "I have a problem here - dead bodies in the trailer.". What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? The man is accused of "conspiring to smuggle non-EU nationals into the UK, contrary to immigration law, between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019. On 23 November, it was reported that one of the teenagers later found dead had gone missing from an asylum centre in the Netherlands. He saw what was inside and stepped back before closing the door. [69] The counsel for the state pointed out that the 39 people died after the trailer had entered the UK and that it was nonsensical to suggest their deaths had occurred anywhere other than the UK. Each passenger paid smugglers between 10,000 and 13,000 to be brought from northern France. The trial exposed for the first time a complex and lucrative operation which has for years illegally brought Vietnamese people into the UK. [69][70], On 28 August 2020 Ronan Hughes, from County Armagh, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people found in the trailer. They're all lying on the ground. [11][12], On 2 November, police clarified they were all Vietnamese. It was a discovery that would hurl Essex into the international spotlight as police, press and forensics descended on the industrial estate that had become the scene of a devastating mass grave. The cars collecting the people inside the lorry drove away from the scene. Signing up to the newsletter is simple. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The friend put him in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong. The first responders who arrived at the lorry were met by the devastating and traumatic sight of the bodies of the men and women lying dead in the back. [24][25] By 7 November, all of the deceased had been formally identified. The ambulance service informed Essex Police, who arrived shortly afterwards. "They loaded too many people into a single trailer the people smugglers were under pressure to double up. [59] The police operation was organised with a cross-border team organised by Eurojust that included Belgium, France, the UK and Ireland. Matthew Long, deputy director of National Crime Agency, said the whole idea of some kind of special service was a con. [90], Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK, said in a tweet that the embassy was in "close contact with the British police to seek clarification and confirmation of the relevant reports" and that "we read with heavy heart the reports about the death of 39 people". ", Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Robinson, Harrison, Hughes and Nica were all jailed for manslaughter in January this year, receiving jail sentences of up to 27 years. CCTV footage then placed the primary suspects together at the same hotel. It's unclear who they are or exactly how they came into the country but one of the biggest murder investigations in British history is underway. [60] In March 2021, the man appeared in court again accused by Belgian authorities of being a member of a criminal organisation, being involved in human trafficking and using forged documents. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [57][58], On 26 May 2020 French and Belgian police announced the arrest of 26 people suspected of human trafficking in relation to the Essex lorry deaths. ". THE 39 migrants who died in the back of a lorry trailer in Essex left bloody handprints on the inside doors of the metal container, it has been reported. Pham Thi Tra My, a 26-year-old woman from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Dinh Luong, a 20-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Huy Phong, a 35-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Vo Nhan Du, a 19-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Tran Manh Hung, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Tran Khanh Tho, a 18-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Vo Van Linh, a 25-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Van Nhan, a 33-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Bui Phan Thang, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Huy Hung, a 15-year-old boy from Ha Tinh, Tran Thi Tho, a 21-year-old woman from Nghe An, Bui Thi Nhung, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An, Vo Ngoc Nam, a 28-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Dinh Tu, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An, Le Van Ha, a 30-year-old man from Nghe An, Tran Thi Ngoc, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An, Nguyen Van Hung, a 33-year-old man from Nghe An, Hoang Van Tiep, a 18-year-old man from Nghe An, Cao Tien Dung, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An, Cao Huy Thanh, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An, Tran Thi Mai Nhung, a 18-year-old woman from Nghe An, Nguyen Minh Quang, a 20-year-old man from Nghe An, Le Ngoc Thanh, a 44-year-old man from Dien Chau, Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, a 28-year-old woman from Nghe An, Hoang Van Hoi, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Tho Tuan, a 25-year-old man from Nghe An, Dang Huu Tuyen, a 22-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Trong Thai, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Van Hiep, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Thi Van, a 35-year-old woman from Nghe An, Tran Hai Loc, a 35-year-old man from Nghe An, Duong Minh Tuan, a 27-year-old man from Quang Binh, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, a 32-year-old man from Quang Binh, Nguyen Tien Dung, a 33-year-old man from Quang, Binh, Phan Thi Thanh, a 41-year-old woman from Hai Phong, Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, a 34-year-old man from Thua Thien-Hue, Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, a 18-year-old man from Hai Phong, Tran Ngoc Hieu, a 17-year-old boy from Hai Duong, Dinh Dinh Binh, a 15-year-old boy from Hai Phong. [5] In the evening of 23 October, the Belgian prosecutor's office announced that they would also investigate the lorry's transit through their country. [62], In June 2021 Italian authorities and the National Crime Agency arrested a 27-year-old Romanian man near Milan in connection with the deaths, charging him with conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence. Each of them had climbed inside the lorry - emblazoned with the words "the ultimate dream" - in search of a new life, that would actually lead them to their deaths. Eamonn Harrison, who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge was sentenced to 18 years. It then travelled through the Republic of Ireland to Dublin, and from there by sea to Holyhead in Wales, from where it was driven to Purfleet. RM 2B4WWCW - Southend, Essex, UK. They leave behind two children in Vietnam. In the days after the news broke, Waterglade Industrial Estate was swarmed by police, forensics and press. [3] Refrigerated trailers can be kept airtight and frozen to preserve perishables, which could lead to an occupant dying of suffocation or hypothermia should they become trapped inside. Alexandru Hanga, 28, who performed a similar role on one occasion in October 2019, and who last year pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful migration, was sentenced to three years in prison. Additionally, money was donated by Vingroup, and other Vietnamese associations across Europe. The chief constable of Essex police, Ben-Julian Harrington, said this was the biggest operation in his forces history. After several months in Poland, he made the journey to France with his heart set on making it across the channel to the UK. "[64], in July 2022, Essex Police released an image of a man who is wanted in connection with the deaths. [11] The police suspect that an Irish people-smuggling ring which has been under investigation for around a year might be involved. The judge said Nica "recruited and paid the drivers whose job it was to collect the migrants when they reached the drop-off site in this country and to drive them to the safe house(s) where they were to be held until payment". [102] By the end of November, all bodies had been repatriated to Vietnam. Four men have been jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex. Lorry driver Maurice Robinson and haulage boss Ronan Hughes had previously admitted the manslaughter of the migrants. [43] Two days later, the prosecutor said that the lorry driver pretended that the trailer was filled with cookies and biscuits. He had wanted to give his wife and three children a better life. Police believe that the cab was driven from Northern Ireland on 19 October. [76], On 21 December 2020, verdicts were returned on Romanian ringleader Gheorghe Nica of Basildon and lorry driver Eamonn Harrison from County Down. Update: Essex police have confirmed that no further action will be taken against Christopher Hughes. "He told me that he would only go on a 'VIP package', in a private car," she said. Despite initially protesting his innocence in police interviews, officers quickly discovered Robinson was actually part of an enormous lucrative people-smuggling ring - led by kingpin Ronan Hughes. The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK, [Left to right] Eamonn Harrison, Ronan Hughes, Gheorghe Nica and Maurice Robinson were all jailed for manslaughter, [Left to right] Valentin Calota, Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga and Christopher Kennedy were also sentenced on Friday, The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October 2019, After receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies, The moment lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV, Ronan Hughes (left) met Gheorghe Nica at a budget hotel in Thurrock, Essex, learned of his son's death via social media, admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser. They're not breathing.". Both Robinson and Hughes, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to assist unlawful immigration. The message said: "Give them air quickly don't let them out". Eleven of the victims - believed to be Chinese nationals - were taken by ambulance from . Witness X described how he was ushered on to the back of the trailer at a rendezvous point in northern France. "We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our enquiries continue. Essex Police said the people were all pronounced dead at the scene in an industrial park in Grays, east of London. Tiep's mother, Hoang Thi Ai, told the BBC why they had changed their minds. Nica claimed he told Robinson not to move the trailer and to call 999. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, Man sentenced over lorry deaths smuggling ring, Lorry deaths driver 'blind to smuggling risks', Dad learned of son's lorry death via social media, Two found guilty of killing 39 migrants in lorry, Irish smuggling connection to Essex lorry deaths, The supposed 'VIP' journey that killed 39 people, Police release CCTV of missing Essex man not seen for month, Great Oaks, Basildon, closed by police after incident, Clacton Railway Club to host memorial darts tournament, Southend and District Badminton Association week 11, Street light switch-off plan not safe and not sensible, Basildon Eastgate sees worker suffer 'serious injuries' in fall, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises. [79], On 22 January 2021 the culprits were jailed for the incident. "I want to come back to my family. Many travelled to other countries in Europe, such as Poland and Russia, before being drawn by the prospect of finding better-paid work in the UK, a lure that saw them move west to France or Belgium before crossing the North Sea. Ms Andrews described ringing police again after seeing the news of the 39 deaths on social media. Essex Police investigate serious crime scene on Cromer Road, Southend-On-Sea, Essex. Inside was an almost unimaginable sight: 39 people, 10 of them teenagers, were dead. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. "No-one would choose to travel in such a dangerous way," she said. [4] Other refugee groups have expressed concern that the border confusion surrounding Brexit will give more opportunities for groups to commit similar crimes. The victims died from suffocation and hyperthermia in the confined space of the truck, which arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge, Belgium. After his brief drive around Grays, Robinson again parked up at the industrial estate. Mr Justice Sweeney said that in the conspiracy "two played leading roles, namely - in order of importance - Hughes and Nica". Despite the shock and horror, less than 36 hours after the discovery, as little as six bunches were laid at the site of the mass murder - something we stepped in to change, calling for residents to join us in laying flowers at the scene. Image: Police and forensics at the crime scene in Grays, Essex, in October 2019 The victims died from suffocation and hyperthermia in the confined space of the truck, which arrived on a ferry from . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Thwarted in France, he said, the smugglers were possibly attempting to "do two loads in one". While the county came to terms with the tragedy on our doorstep, Essex Police launched the largest investigation in its history to bring down members of the international smuggling operation responsible for their deaths. They had been working legally as fruit pickers in Hungary when they phoned their families in Vietnam to tell them there had been a change in plan and they would soon be travelling to the UK. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. During the investigation, there was one crucial piece of evidence which cracked the case "wide open", a recent documentary into the deaths revealed. Both men had made it as far as France - Tiep, via Russia, in 2017, and his older cousin a year later. Hughes, 41, and lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 26, had previously admitted the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants who were found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex in October 2019. It was accepted he was not a member of the organised crime group behind the smuggling operation. Maurice Robinson, who collected the trailer from Purfleet and discovered the dead bodies, was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months. It came to light that the 31 men and eight women - including a 15-year-old child - had died in sweltering temperatures in the lorry's sealed container as they were shipped from Zeebrugge to Purfleet. He had seen a friend's Facebook post showing that they had made it to London. Officers discovered a metal post on the lorry floor. The bodies of 39 migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex were so closely packed together the first policeman on the scene could not check them all for signs of life, a court has heard. First to the scene were paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service, who were praised by chief executive Dorothy Hosein for their "incredible professionalism in very difficult circumstances". Speculation was rife as drips of information were fed through, clarified and confirmed while politicians stepped in to comment on the deadly discovery. Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. On 23 October 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese people 31 men and 8 women were found in the trailer of an articulated refrigerator lorry in Grays, Essex, United Kingdom. He was charged with unrelated offences. A week later, she saw the same red-cabbed lorry in front of her home, near the village golf club, during yet another smuggling run. "All were to no avail and, before the ship reached Purfleet, [the victims] all died in what must have been an excruciatingly painful death. Speaking to the emergency call handler, Robinson explained he had just lifted a trailer from the port and found immigrants in the back "lying on the ground.". RM GA0448 - A police officer at the scene of a shooting at Rayleigh railway station in Essex, after a member of the public was shot armed robbers today. Lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 24, also from Northern Ireland, who collected the migrants in northern France and drove the container to Zeebrugge, was found guilty of people-smuggling and 39 counts of manslaughter in December. Eight women and 31 men were sealed inside the vehicle for at least 12 hours as temperatures reached an "unbearable" 38.5C (101F). [28] The National Crime Agency suggested that organised crime might be involved. Read about our approach to external linking. I appreciate this cordon is going to disrupt the activity of local businesses in the area and we will work to ensure that disruption is kept as short as possible. He did not have a chance to fulfil his dream, they said in a statement. 48 year old Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici is believed to be part of the conspiracy to smuggle the migrants into the UK. Maurice Robinson, 26, was given 13 years and four months, having collected the trailer and opened it in an industrial estate to find the migrants dead. [82], UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet that he was "appalled" at the incident, giving his thoughts to the victims and their families, adding that the Home Office was working alongside Essex Police on the case. The father of Nguyen Huy Tung, one of two 15-year-olds in the container, later learned of his son's death via social media. On the morning of October 23, 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children were discovered dead in the back of a lorry in Grays, Essex. "I didn't take my eyes off the lorry while I was on the [999] call.". It is seen beside a white police tent in the aerial shots. Want the latest Essex news direct to your inbox? Hughes, of County Monaghan, Ireland, and Robinson, who took the initial 999 call had previously admitted manslaughter. There they found the 39 migrants dead in the back of a refrigerated . "The day he left it was 6th September. From Bierne, the lorry is seen on CCTV footage making its way across France and towards the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, where it was left to be loaded unaccompanied on to a ferry called the MV Clementine. Pic: Essex Police, Police and forensics at the crime scene in Grays, Essex, in October 2019, Lorry driver Maurice Robinson is seen leaving Purfleet port in Essex after collecting the trailer containing the migrants, Gheorghe Nica pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of the migrants. When Robinson discovered the bodies, there was a series of telephone conversations between him and Nica and Hughes, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, Ireland, before the driver eventually dialled 999. His barrister said Robinson, who admitted manslaughter, being part of the trafficking plot and money laundering, was "horrified by what he saw". Belgian officials said the eight women . While Hughes admitted manslaughter, both Nica and Harrison were convicted by a jury. Witness X asked that friend for help. As they began to die inside the dark container, where the temperature had risen to 38.5C, they recorded farewell messages for their relatives. "It's hard to say whether that would change the outcome but we have changed nationally the way that we deal with organised immigration crimes.". Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. A number of the migrants discovered in France were later found dead inside the container in Essex. [56] Bail was refused on 30 April. [94][95][96] Nguyen Van Hung's mother, Pham Thi Lan, agreed. He was immediately released having already served his sentence in custody. He accepted Hughes was "not at the very top of the conspiracy" but said his role was "pivotal in that he ran a haulage business and supplied the trailers and drivers used to transport the migrants". Parents of one of the youngest victims, Nguyen Huy Hung, who was 15 when he died, paid tribute to their peaceful and smart son. The journey of 23 October and the earlier failed run on 14 October were connected, said Bill Emlyn Jones, who prosecuted the case. The twice-daily update will deliver the top news and features to your inbox every morning and evening. He slowly brought the lorry to a stop at the industrial estate, got out of the cab and opened the trailer door. [103], Deaths of 39 Vietnamese in a lorry in 2019 in the UK, The location where the bodies were discovered in Grays, Essex, List of migrant vehicle incidents in Europe, "39 Bodies Found in Truck in U.K.; Police Seek to Retrace Fatal Journey", "Truck found in UK with 39 bodies has Bulgarian registration", "Irish company confirms it leased refrigerated trailer at centre of Essex tragedy", "Live: Murder investigation after 39 people found dead in lorry container", "Essex lorry deaths: 39 bodies found in refrigerated trailer", "Bodies of 39 people found in back of lorry on Essex industrial estate", "Driver arrested after 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex", "Essex lorry deaths live updates as two houses raided", "Essex lorry deaths: tracking data reveals route in days before tragedy", "Truck container crossed English Channel on the Clementine ferry, CNN ascertains", "Essex lorry deaths: all 39 victims were Chinese nationals", "Post-mortems to begin on 39 found dead in lorry", "Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear relatives among dead", "Police release names of 39 people found dead in Essex lorry", "Trafficked Vietnamese and the lure of UK nail bars and cannabis farms", "Vietnamese lorry death teen escaped asylum centre", "UK police charge another man over deaths of 39 Vietnamese in truck", "Essex lorry deaths: 39 migrants found dead 'were all Vietnamese, police say |", "Father of Vietnamese woman believed dead in Essex truck: Smugglers said this was a 'safe route', "Migrants buy 'VIP tickets' to Britain to work on cannabis farms and nail bars, human trafficking expert claims", Vietnam collects DNA samples to help in Essex lorry deaths case, "Lorry deaths: Eight people arrested in Vietnam", "Bodies found in lorry have all been identified", "Second Man Charged Over UK Truck Deaths, Victims Now Thought to Be Vietnamese", "Three men convicted over chainsaw attack in Grays", "Essex lorry deaths: 39 found dead were Chinese nationals", "Essex lorry deaths: Police escort ambulances to remove bodies for post-mortem", "Irish people-smuggling gang suspected of being at centre of the Essex lorry container deaths has been under investigation for a year", "Crime chiefs issued warnings over migrants in refrigerated HGVs", "Lorry victims were trapped before reaching Belgian coast, officials say", "Essex lorry deaths: Two held on suspicion of manslaughter", "Essex lorry deaths: Fourth person arrested after 39 bodies found in container", "Essex lorry deaths: Driver charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people", "Lorry deaths: driver was part of global ring of smugglers, court told", "Essex lorry deaths: Man in court on manslaughter charges", "Police ask Vietnamese to help identify lorry dead", "Man arrested in Dublin 'delivered lorry deaths trailer to Zeebrugge', "Police hunt for brothers from Northern Ireland over truck deaths", "Northern Irish man faces 41 charges over Essex lorry deaths", "Essex lorry deaths: Extradition proceedings launched", "Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese police arrest eight people", "Man charged with immigration offence over Essex lorry deaths", "Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese police charge seven people", "Essex lorry deaths: fifth charged over deaths of 39 Vietnamese people", "Essex lorry deaths: Man charged with immigration offence", "Essex lorry deaths: Man held in Ireland faces manslaughter charges", "Monaghan man facing extradition to UK over Essex lorry deaths was 'ringleader' in criminal gang, court hears", "Man alleged to be 'the ringleader' and 'chief organiser' of organised criminal group refused bail by High Court", "Man facing extradition to UK over migrant deaths refused bail", "Essex lorry deaths: 26 arrested in France and Belgium", "Grays lorry deaths: 'Taxi driver brought Vietnamese victims to continent', "Essex lorry deaths case: Haulier Caolan Gormley in court", "Essex lorry deaths: Haulier denies role in migrant smuggling plot", "Essex lorry deaths: Man held in Italy over the deaths of 39 migrants", "Essex lorry deaths: Man arrested in Middlesbrough in people-smuggling probe linked to deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants", "Essex lorry deaths: Police release image of suspect Marius Draghici wanted in connection with deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals", "Lorry driver admits plot after 39 migrant deaths", "Essex lorry deaths: Irish truck driver denies human trafficking charges", "NI lorry driver admits manslaughter over Essex deaths", "Essex lorry deaths: State says defence raised 'nonsensical' claim at Monaghan man's extradition hearing", "Essex lorry deaths: Ronan Hughes to be extradited to UK", "Essex lorry deaths: haulier pleads guilty to manslaughter", "Essex lorry deaths: Ronan Hughes admits manslaughter", "Essex lorry deaths: Man admits offence linked to people-smuggling", "Essex lorry deaths: Four people jailed in Vietnam", "Vietnamese teenager accused over lorry migrants' deaths is wanted in Belgium", "Court orders extradition of people smuggling suspect wanted in connection with Essex lorry deaths", "Two men found guilty of manslaughter of 39 people in Essex lorry tragedy", "Essex lorry deaths: Two found guilty of killing 39 migrants", "Essex lorry deaths: Gazmir Nuzi sentenced over people-smuggling ring", "People-smuggling gang members jailed over Essex lorry deaths", "Essex lorry deaths: Man extradited from Italy jailed", "Essex lorry deaths: Trafficking gang ringleader jailed in Belgium", "39 bodies found in truck container in Essex: Live updates", "Andrew Marr Show, 27th October 2019, Diane Abbott MP", "UK sends extra staff to Zeebrugge after Essex lorry deaths", "One man arrested after 39 bodies found in lorry container updates", "Channel 4 postpones Smuggled broadcast after bodies found in lorry", "Channel 4's Smuggled criticised as insensitive in wake of lorry deaths", "BBC Two - Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers", "Essex lorry deaths: UK must bear responsibility, says Chinese state media", "Why would people from China, the world's second-biggest economy, risk their lives to enter the UK? His father, Hoang Van Lanh, believed his son was tricked, possibly at the last moment. (From left) Gheorghe Nica and Ronan Hughes were jailed for a total of 47 years, while Eamonn Harrison was sentenced to 18 years. He was one of the organisers of the smuggling operation but denied involvement in the lethal trip. They had been promised safe passage to our shores and they were lied to. "He said he would not go in a container lorry and that it needed to be safe, even though the truck option was a lot cheaper.". He would say 'Daddy just needs to see Mummy and the kids'. "They did a brilliant job and they put us in a really strong position to continue the investigation.". Lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, of County Armagh, and van driver Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, were also convicted of being part of the people-smuggling plot. Recordings from some of the victims' final desperate phone messages were played aloud in court. The red and white lorry is pictured at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, surrounded by forensic teams. Police ensured they were taken to the mortuary, and then had their post-mortem examinations carried out, together. A 25-year-old lorry driver from Northern Ireland has been arrested, Essex Police says. He was charged with 41 offences, including 39 of manslaughter, and extradition proceedings began in the Irish High Court. A port worker who drove the trailer off the ship later reported noticing a pungent smell that was "similar to waste". The migrants died "excruciatingly painful" deaths, having suffocated in the container en route from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019, a judge said. "My message to you is that we will find you and we will stop you.". A cloud of steam that emerged from the trailer, caught on CCTV, spoke volumes of the heat that was still inside the trailer, the judge said. Smugglers often force migrants to work off the cost of the trip in slave-like conditions. 7th March 2020. [37] On 27 October, it was announced that these three had been released on bail. Robinson had driven from Holyhead, a major Irish Sea port in north-west Wales, to collect the trailer. The trial examined three smuggling attempts by the gang - two that were successful on 11 and 18 October, and the final trip on 23 October. A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted in a Belgian court of being the ringleader in the trafficking of 39 migrants whose bodies were found inside a lorry in the UK. He said the victims died in an "unimaginable way, because of the utter greed of these criminals". Both were found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to transport and assist illegal migrants. GPS data showed it had previously travelled to Dunkirk and Lille in France and Bruges in Belgium. "Many people around here go overseas to find work. Essex lorry deaths: The supposed 'VIP' journey that killed 39 people 21 December 2020 Essex lorry deaths Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28, from Nghe An, wrote a text message that was never sent By. [8] Belgian officials said the people were trapped in the trailer for at least 10 hours. [28], On 29 October, Essex Police announced that two brothers from Armagh, Northern Ireland, one of whom owned the haulage company operating the lorry cab detained at Grays, were wanted on suspicion of manslaughter and human trafficking offences related to the incident. The risks taken by the crime group responsible for the deaths of 39 migrants found in a lorry container in Essex were 'sadly not unusual', a senior Immigration Enforcement official has said. PC Jack Emerson was one of the first at the scene. [14] The investigation was the "largest mass fatality victim identification" investigation in the history of Essex Police. We were struggling to give our children a proper education. Relatives said the victims had hoped to take up work in restaurants and nail bars in Britain, and planned to send their earnings home to help support their families. Essex lorry deaths: Men jailed for killing 39 migrants in trailer 22 January 2021 Essex lorry deaths The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between. [78] Prosecutors are considering charges against a further three people. [16][17] There have been a number of incidents in which migrants to Europe died or were injured as a result of dangerous transportation methods. [51][52], On 29 January 2020, a man from Essex, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained in Frankfurt. The court heard some of their final desperate phone messages, including one where a man spoke with ragged breaths as he apologised to his family. Maurice Robinson, 26, the lorry driver from Northern Ireland who collected the container containing the 39 people from the port in Essex in October 2019, and also pleaded guilty last year to . [98] He also urged his country's Foreign Ministry to direct the Vietnamese embassy in UK to closely monitor the situation, co-ordinate with the British authorities to verify the identities of the victims and take protective measures in case it was confirmed Vietnamese were among them. [98] After confirmation that they were all from Vietnam, the Vietnamese government strongly condemned human trafficking and called on all countries to combat such activities to prevent a recurrence of the incident. ", Cousins Hoang Van Tiep (left), 18, and Nguyen Van Hung, 33, died together in the container, Both Maurice Robinson (left) and Ronan Hughes admitted 39 counts of manslaughter in connection with the case, After receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies, Gheorghe Nica, Eamonn Harrison and Christopher Kennedy were all part of the people-smuggling conspiracy, Ronan Hughes (left) was captured on CCTV meeting Gheorghe Nica at a hotel, Twelve days before 39 people were found dead in the back of a lorry, the same cab was seen repeatedly in a country lane in Orsett, Essex, This is the moment Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV, A relative paid tribute to Bui Thi Nhung as families mourned the deaths of the 39 people. One man spoke with ragged breaths to his family, saying: I cant breathe. Antnio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, tweeted that those responsible "must be swiftly brought to justice". Mr Justice Sweeney told the defendants jailed for manslaughter they would serve two-thirds of the term in custody, instead of the usual half. he 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry were already trapped when they arrived at the Belgian coast en route to England, local officials have said. Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28, from Nghe An, wrote a text message that was never sent, The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK, Hoang Van Tiep's parents Hoang Thi Ai (left) and Hoang Van Lanh said their son had paid for a "VIP service", They are callous and they are dangerous and they are out to exploit these people. On Saturday afternoon, Essex Police provided a fresh update revealing at the 25-year-old lorry driver had now been charged. Investigations revealed that they suffocated to death in 38 degrees in the refrigerated container, where all the oxygen was sucked out. The red and white lorry is pictured at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, surrounded by forensic. [91], In an editorial headlined, "The UK must bear responsibility," the Global Times, a state-run newspaper, said that the responsibility for the deaths lay with Britain and other European countries. One of the biggest murder probes in British history is launched after the horrific discovery at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays. We choose the most important stories of the day to include in the newsletter, including crime, court news, long reads, traffic and travel, food and drink articles and more. ", Justice Sweeney added: "The willingness of the victims to try and enter the country illegally provides no excuse for what happened to them.". He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He knew, in his own words, what had happened was "very, very bad" and that there would be a "big investigation". "The manager went to get into work this morning and it was cordoned off and we've been moved to a different area," Mr Freeland said. I cannot breathe. [59] Thirteen people were arrested in France. While the migrants were detained by the French authorities, the driver Christopher Kennedy was allowed to continue on his way to Kent. One of them, a man known to the court only as Witness X, gave evidence at the Old Bailey. The trial focused on four people-smuggling runs by the gang in the space of just a fortnight in October 2019 which, if they had all been successful, would have brought more than 80 Vietnamese migrants into the UK and netted the organisers 800,000. 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Sign up here. [69] The fact that many locations were mentioned in the warrant did not mean that the offences were extraterritorial and the accused was in the UK and had acted to further an act of conspiracy that underpinned the charges of manslaughter. [5][6][7][8] The trailer was loaded onto the freight ferry Clementine in Zeebrugge in Belgium. "I could visibly see numerous half-naked bodies in the back of the trailer, lying on the trailer floor motionless," he said. White forensic tents were erected and camera crews were set up to document the investigation as the eyes of the world looked on. [55] On 29 April 2020 he appeared before the High Court via videolink, during which he was described as the "ringleader" of a criminal gang. Other people involved in the case were jailed for between one and 10 years. [26] Names, ages and hometowns were released on 8 November; 20 were from Ngh An Province, 10 from H Tnh, 4 from Haiphong, 3 from Qung Bnh, 1 from Din Chu District and 1 from Tha Thin-Hu. Maurice Robinson, of Laurel Drive in Craigavon, Nothern Ireland, was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the bodies were found at the Waterglade Industrial Estate. Alongside the crucial testimony - giving a voice to the 39 - Essex Police was able to extradite Ronan Hughes back to the UK from Ireland. Have a good life. Essex lorry deaths: Trafficking ringleader jailed for 15 years after 39 died from suffocation and hyperthermia Eight women and 31 men were sealed inside the vehicle for at least 12 hours as . In the BBC documentary Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers, it shared some of the devastating testimonies from the victims' families. Essex lorry deaths: CCTV shows arrival at industrial park A spokesman for the Bulgarian foreign affairs ministry said the truck was registered in the country under the name of a company. The crime scene is just a short distance from intu Lakeside shopping centre and the M25 Dartford Crossing. Driver Maurice Robinson pulled his articulated lorry over on a largely deserted Essex industrial park. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. What she was seeing was a people-smuggling operation run by the same gang responsible for the 39 deaths. He called us all the time. Police later moved the bodies to a mortuary at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortems to be carried out. Early indications suggest the victims are 38 adults and one teenager. "On that boat in the night, there was no-one to hear them and no-one to help them. Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry . [55] He faced 39 charges of manslaughter as well as immigration offences. Investigations are being led by Essex Police, and involve the national authorities of the UK, Belgium, Ireland and Vietnam. Police release CCTV of missing Essex man not seen for month, Great Oaks, Basildon, closed by police after incident, Clacton Railway Club to host memorial darts tournament, Southend and District Badminton Association week 11, Street light switch-off plan not safe and not sensible, Basildon Eastgate sees worker suffer 'serious injuries' in fall, Ukrainian ministers killed in helicopter crash, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged. He was later arrested in Germany. Valentin Calota, 38, a pickup driver from Romania, who collected migrants from the lorry drop-off spot in Essex and drove them to London during an earlier consignment, was sentenced to four and a half years. Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten, who led the investigation, described how one single fingerprint found in another one of Hughes' lorries was "gold dust", leading to another man who made the same journey a week before. Open up, open up., Another father, Nguyen Tho Tuan, recorded a spoken message for his own family saying: "I am sorry. Temperatures in the unit had reached an "unbearable" 38.5C (101F) as the migrants were sealed inside for at least 12 hours, the court heard. [46][47] In February 2020, the man was given leave to appeal the extradition judgment. One of them was Gheorghe Nica. [66] He was remanded in custody until 13 December when he appeared in court, via a video link from Belmarsh Prison in London where he was being held until his trial. ", Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. This was when the victims were still believed to be of Chinese origin. "I am receiving regular updates from the Home Office & will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened. Instead of immediately dialling 999 in the early hours of 23 October, 2019, the 26-year-old's first instinct was to get back in to his cab and drive off from the estate in Grays, with the bodies in the trailer behind him. Det Ch Insp Daniel Stoten, of Essex Police, said: "They are callous and they are dangerous and they are out to exploit these people. They had each paid about 13,000 to be smuggled into the UK and had desperately tried to raise the alarm as they suffocated inside the pitch-black refrigerated unit, which had been switched off. He too was seeking a better life when, in February last year, he paid up to 20,000 to a trafficker in Vietnam for a visa and a place on a business studies course in Poland. They died excruciatingly slow deaths, the judge said, of asphyxia and hyperthermia, or overheating. [12], On 23 October 2019, shortly after 01:40 BST, staff of the East of England Ambulance Service responding to a 999 call made by the driver, Maurice Robinson, who found 39 bodies in a refrigerated articulated lorry. I am sorry. He also denied conspiring to assist unlawful immigration over the same period, but did not enter any plea regarding 39 charges of manslaughter with which he was charged. He was accused of "conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person". Police have begun the process of moving the bodies of 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry in Essex. That call between Robinson and Hughes then triggered a flurry of further communications between other men involved in the trafficking operation. ", Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. When Witness X finally arrived in the UK, he and the other migrants were met by a fleet of black cars at Orsett Farm, in Orsett, Essex. The discovery of the Thurrock 39 all began with one 999 call from 26-year-old lorry driver Maurice Robinson. This became Witness X who shared his fears and referred to the smugglers as "the mafia" - a testimony that revealed the drivers had known about their passengers. From this point onwards, a sensor inside the trailer tells its own story of a relentless rise in temperature. Many of their families borrowed heavily to fund their passage, relying on their potential future earnings once they got into the UK. It's one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive. It was a discovery that would hurl Essex into the international spotlight as police, press and forensics descended on the industrial estate that had become the scene of a devastating mass grave. [41], On 26 October, the Irish police said they had detained a man in his 20s at Dublin Port who was of interest to Essex Police as part of its investigation into the lorry deaths. 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