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. [48], On 4 November, Vietnamese police arrested eight suspects in the central province of Ngh An in connection with the smuggling ring. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [67], On 15 May 2020 Ronan Hughes, the man accused of being a ringleader, attended the High Court in Ireland by video link from Cloverhill Prison in Dublin. Robinson had driven from Holyhead, a major Irish Sea port in north-west Wales, to collect the trailer. 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 The friend put him in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong. An international criminal investigation into a major people-smuggling operation was set to begin. In September 2019, the younger cousin asked his parents if he could travel to the UK. They were left to die, all because of the greed of the men who have been sentenced today., The home secretary, Priti Patel, said: The inhumanity of these callous people smugglers and their dangerous organised criminal networks has rightly been reflected in the sentencing today.. Want the latest Essex news direct to your inbox? "I didn't take my eyes off the lorry while I was on the [999] call.". On Monday . Lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 26, of Craigavon, leaving Purfleet port, Essex, Purfleet Thames Terminal the day 39 bodies were found in a container in Grays, The lorry was discovered in Waterglade Industrial Park on Eastern Avenue in Grays, (Image: (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)), The 39 victims and their families had paid thousands to give them a better life in Britain, Court artist sketch of Gheorghe Nica (left) and Eamonn Harrison (right) two of four men to face trial, at the Old Bailey, Bui Phan Thang, 37, from Ha Tinh, one of the 39 Vietnamese migrants. [61] On 14 April 2021 he pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in 2023. He saw what was inside and stepped back before closing the door. Nine people have so far been convicted of crimes related to the incident in the UK and a further nineteen have been jailed in Belgium. The ship left Zeebrugge in the middle of the afternoon, bound for the port of Purfleet-on-Thames, in Essex. Witness X described how he was ushered on to the back of the trailer at a rendezvous point in northern France. It is understood Phong is currently subject of further police inquiries but his full identity has not been revealed. Officer Maxime Saison was on duty in France that night and told how the migrants, speaking in English, confirmed they were Vietnamese and had no documentation. She said: "We worked on the land and it was hard. Post-mortem examinations found they died of overheating and a lack of oxygen. All of the others convicted were Vietnamese or Belgians of Vietnamese origin and were accused of buying supplies for the migrants, transporting them in taxis or acting as look-outs at safe houses. ", Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. Nguyen Van Hung, who was 33, and 18-year-old Hoang Van Tiep were from the same village in Nghe An province, in the north of Vietnam. He persuaded them, saying he would only have to pay the 10,500 fee due to the people smugglers after he had arrived in the UK. [91], Later, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised a CNN reporter's question, which had contrasted the incident with the Chinese government's depiction of a more economically prosperous China. ", Justice Sweeney added: "The willingness of the victims to try and enter the country illegally provides no excuse for what happened to them.". "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.". [59] Thirteen people were arrested in France. Sweeney said there was a need for deterrent sentences because the control of immigration, which affects the social fabric of our country, our economy and our security is an area of considerable public concern. 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. (From left) Gheorghe Nica and Ronan Hughes were jailed for a total of 47 years, while Eamonn Harrison was sentenced to 18 years. A similar run was stopped at the mouth of the Eurotunnel at Coquelles in France on 14 October, when 20 Vietnamese migrants were discovered. [1], Soon after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October. Among those killed was a married couple - Tran Hai Loc and Nguyen Thi Van. Hughes had hidden his smuggling by continuing legitimate loads delivered by HGV drivers to conceal his crimes. In an incident in Dover in June 2000, 58 Chinese nationals died in similar circumstances. [49][50] In February 2020 five men and two women were charged in Vietnam with "organising or broking others to flee abroad or stay abroad illegally". [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. 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. Both were found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to transport and assist illegal migrants. RM 2B4WWCW - Southend, Essex, UK. He was paid 25,000 in cash to pick up the container and had been instructed by Hughes to open the lorry trailer to give the migrants air shortly after collecting it from Purfleet docks, but he found they were all dead. A number of the migrants discovered in France were later found dead inside the container in Essex. [5][6][7][8] The trailer was loaded onto the freight ferry Clementine in Zeebrugge in Belgium. [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. Most of the migrants are believed to have boarded the lorry container in northern France before it was driven to Zeebrugge and loaded on to a cargo ship bound for Purfleet on 22 October 2019. Have a good life. In the weeks before the tragic journey, the gang, led by Hughes and Nica, organised at least two other journeys smuggling Vietnamese migrants packed into the back of lorries into the UK. 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. [80], Two lorry drivers who were also involved in the incident were also jailed. Essex crime: Rayleigh mum and son jailed for collective ten years for wanting to sell 750,000 of cocaine Crime Bookmark Person tries to chase driver fleeing scene of Romford lamppost crash - but falls over and is taken to hospital Romford Bookmark Boy, aged 15, charged after teen found with stabbed leg and knife recovered near Barking tube station From the French capital, they had made their way to a town called Bierne, in northern France. He was described as an organiser for the people-trafficking organisation, arranging accommodation and transit for money. They were found on the floor of the trailer holding hands. Matthew Long, deputy director of National Crime Agency, said the whole idea of some kind of special service was a con. His loss is so sudden for us. [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. The bodies were packed so tightly together, he said, that he could only check "the bodies I could reach". In addition, Valentin Calota from Birmingham and Christopher Kennedy, from County Armagh, were found guilty of immigration offences. On Saturday afternoon, Essex Police provided a fresh update revealing at the 25-year-old lorry driver had now been charged. [11][12], On 2 November, police clarified they were all Vietnamese. 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. "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. Hughes, an Irish haulier, alternated between legitimate shipments of waffles, soft drinks and wine from warehouses across Europe and illegal smuggling of alcohol, cigarettes and people. Crammed into the back of Robinson's lorry were two cousins who were more than 6,000 miles (9,656km) from home. [68], A second man, from County Armagh, also appeared at the Central Criminal Court on 13 December and pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit human trafficking offences between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019, by arranging or facilitating the travel of other people with a view to exploitation. [86], Campaigners against human trafficking organised a vigil to take place outside the Home Office on 24 October in solidarity with the casualties. One of those was Nguyen Thi Hong, whose husband Bui Phan Thang died in the lorry. [59], On 15 December 2020, a Vietnamese man who was believed to have been involved in transporting 10 of the 39 migrants from a safehouse in Anderlecht was arrested in Redditch by National Crime Agency officers on a European Arrest Warrant issued by a Belgian judge. This article does contains many crime scene photos, as well as the group's strangely joyful exit interview video which was shot just before their deaths, Applewhite's final video, a house tour while the bodies were still inside, and an interview with a surviving member who does show a video of the cult going about their daily routines. When it became obvious that there was insufficient oxygen they made desperate attempts to escape through the roof of the lorry, and tried to call emergency services in Vietnam. Eamonn Harrison, 24, who towed the trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before their journey to the UK, was sentenced to 18 years. The crime scene is just a short distance from intu Lakeside shopping centre and the M25 Dartford Crossing. [60], On 17 March 2021 a 23-year-old haulier from Caledon, County Tyrone was charged with conspiracy to assist illegal immigration in connection with the deaths. Mr Justice Sweeney said that in the conspiracy "two played leading roles, namely - in order of importance - Hughes and Nica". [55] He faced 39 charges of manslaughter as well as immigration offences. 48 year old Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici is believed to be part of the conspiracy to smuggle the migrants into the UK. He was later arrested in Germany. 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. He knew, in his own words, what had happened was "very, very bad" and that there would be a "big investigation". 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. Both Robinson and Hughes, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to assist unlawful immigration. Sign up here. [34] British police had also searched two properties in Northern Ireland. Something went wrong, please try again later. "For the 39 men and women inside, that lorry had become their tomb. A screengrab of Maurice Robinson leaving Purfleet port. During the voyage, the temperature rose from the high 20s all the way up to 38.5C (101F), by which point the air was too toxic for human life. What she was seeing was a people-smuggling operation run by the same gang responsible for the 39 deaths. Ms Andrews described ringing police again after seeing the news of the 39 deaths on social media. 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. 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. That call between Robinson and Hughes then triggered a flurry of further communications between other men involved in the trafficking operation. Essex lorry deaths: Trafficking ringleader jailed for 15 years after 39 died from suffocation and hyperthermia, The 39 people whose bodies were discovered in a lorry in Grays, Essex, in October 2019. 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. "A load of immigrants just got out of a lorry, they just got into Mercedes and all that," Ms Andrews told the 999 operator. What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry . [89], In October 2021, the BBC broadcast the hour-long documentary Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers. Those inside had stripped to their underwear in the sweltering heat and tried to bash their way out of the trailer's roof. 2023 BBC. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises. [100] The deputy chair of the Can Lc District, had reportedly been told by officials that the Vietnamese government offered to only pay the costs of bringing the bodies "home from the airport" and would pay in advance on behalf of the families only if the families would later pay them back. He described how he desperately searched for "signs of life", a pulse or a breath. 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