[5][6][7][8] The trailer was loaded onto the freight ferry Clementine in Zeebrugge in Belgium. On 23 October 2019 we were called to a scene that no officer could ever have prepared for. 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.. One of them, a man known to the court only as Witness X, gave evidence at the Old Bailey. 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. [54] On 20 April 2020 a 40-year-old man was arrested in the Republic of Ireland in connection with the deaths. Read more: Breaking news and updates on Essex crime. [4][14], The ambulance service said that all 39 people were dead before it arrived, and attempts at resuscitation could not be made. ". [51][52], On 29 January 2020, a man from Essex, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained in Frankfurt. Communicating on the messaging app Viber, Phong agreed to arrange the trip for Witness X for 13,000. [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. He had seen a friend's Facebook post showing that they had made it to London. Numbers of Vietnamese people reported as potential human trafficking victims in the past three years. 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 He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. 2023 BBC. 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. "We thought maybe someone had broken into a lorry, but it's just awful. [42] A Belgian public prosecutor said that this was the lorry driver they had been searching for, who had been seen on CCTV ten times at Zeebrugge while dropping off the refrigerated trailer. The families of the victims who lost their lives continue to mourn their losses, with many still struggling with the debts of the money they spent in search of a better life. 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. His boss, Hughes, had messaged him: "Give them air quickly don't let them out.". 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. [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. [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". [88] The first part was broadcast on 4 November after re-editing in the light of the 39 deaths, despite the Home Office describing the timing as "both insensitive and irresponsible". Speculation was rife as drips of information were fed through, clarified and confirmed while politicians stepped in to comment on the deadly discovery. Something went wrong, please try again later. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? 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. "I want to come back to my family. Robinson, Harrison, Hughes and Nica were all jailed for manslaughter in January this year, receiving jail sentences of up to 27 years. [48], On 4 November, Vietnamese police arrested eight suspects in the central province of Ngh An in connection with the smuggling ring. "For the 39 men and women inside, that lorry had become their tomb. "I don't know what happened but something must have changed in their plan, or he was scammed," he said. Essex Police investigate serious crime scene on Cromer Road, Southend-On-Sea, Essex. It's awful. Christopher Kennedy, 24, another lorry driver from Northern Ireland who was involved in earlier people-smuggling runs bringing Vietnamese migrants from Northern Ireland, was sentenced to seven years. The victims were 28 men, eight women and three children, two of them aged 15. Five people were found not guilty. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. 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. It's one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive. Have a good life. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Emailwebnews@trinitymirror.com. 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. On Saturday afternoon, Essex Police provided a fresh update revealing at the 25-year-old lorry driver had now been charged. The chief constable of Essex police, Ben-Julian Harrington, said this was the biggest operation in his forces history. He was immediately released having already served his sentence in custody. 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. [66][67] On 8 April 2020, he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the 39 victims. He loved football very much and he loved UK teams as well as the Champions League. Robinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. 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. The two main offenders, Ronan Hughes and Gheorghe Nica, were given 20 years (for 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to bring people into the country unlawfully) and 27 years (for manslaughter and people-smuggling), respectively. Maurice Robinson, who collected the trailer from Purfleet and discovered the dead bodies, was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months. ", Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. [55] He faced 39 charges of manslaughter as well as immigration offences. Police later moved the bodies to a mortuary at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortems to be carried out. Each passenger paid smugglers between 10,000 and 13,000 to be brought from northern France. [99], Families of those who died told reporters that they had been told that neither the British nor Vietnamese governments were willing to cover the cost of repatriating the bodies back to their homes. Lorry driver Maurice Robinson and haulage boss Ronan Hughes had previously admitted the manslaughter of the migrants. [24][25] By 7 November, all of the deceased had been formally identified. "The day he left it was 6th September. [81], In January 2022, 19 people were convicted in Belgium of being part of a people smuggling ring connected to the deaths, including the ringleader Vo Van Hong who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Who are the victims in the Essex lorry tragedy? His barrister said Robinson, who admitted manslaughter, being part of the trafficking plot and money laundering, was "horrified by what he saw". Twelve days before 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in the container, Marie Andrews was at her mobile home in Orsett, a village about four miles (6km) from Grays. 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. 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. [59] Authorities said a series of simultaneous early morning raids had taken place in both countries on 25 May 2020. (From left) Gheorghe Nica and Ronan Hughes were jailed for a total of 47 years, while Eamonn Harrison was sentenced to 18 years. "There were desperate attempts to contact the outside world by phone and to break through the roof of the container," the judge said. [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. The driver of the trailer spoke only to hurry them along, Witness X told the court. They are believed to have been either victims of human trafficking (for example, as forced labourers), migrants who paid smugglers to move them to the United Kingdom, or both. 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. [9] It arrived in Purfleet, a town with a port on the Thames, at around 00:30 on 23 October and was picked up with the cab there about half-an-hour later. [73][74], In January 2021, an extradition hearing was held at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a Vietnamese man, said to be aged 18, who appeared via videolink from HM Prison Wandsworth accused of transporting 10 of the 39 from a safehouse in Anderlecht. 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. "Many people around here go overseas to find work. 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 manslaughter and people-smuggling, was sentenced to 13 years and four months. In addition, Valentin Calota from Birmingham and Christopher Kennedy, from County Armagh, were found guilty of immigration offences. [27], A murder investigation was launched on the morning of the day of the discovery. [29][30], The lorry and bodies were moved from the scene to a secure location in Tilbury Docks, another nearby port on the Thames, to continue the investigation. He always dreamed of going to the UK and he tried very hard to study at school as well as learning English for that purpose. The trailer had been shipped from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Purfleet, Essex, UK, and the lorry cab and its driver are believed to have originated from Northern Ireland. 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. The migrants died "excruciatingly painful" deaths, having suffocated in the container en route from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019, a judge said. What she was seeing was a people-smuggling operation run by the same gang responsible for the 39 deaths. [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. More than 1,300 Essex police officers were involved in the case. "We believe the lorry is from Bulgaria and entered the country at Holyhead on Saturday 19 October and we are working closely with our partners to investigate. [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. These are the first photographs of the lorry where 39 bodies were discovered today. A father of one of the deceased said he was given two options: having the ashes returned for 41,100,000 Vietnam dong (1,470) or receiving the body for 66,240,000 Vietnam dong (2,209). [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. He waited for 15 minutes and then dialled 999, telling the operator: "There's immigrants in the back. He was accused of "conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person". Exactly two years ago, Essex was dealt one of the worst tragedies it's ever seen. It is understood Phong is currently subject of further police inquiries but his full identity has not been revealed. 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. Some of the victims reassured their anxious families that they had paid extra for a so-called VIP journey to the UK which meant the lorry driver was helping them to cross the border, and there was no need for them to break into vehicles and stow themselves away. Nica claimed he told Robinson not to move the trailer and to call 999. 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[38] After extended questioning, on 26 October Essex Police charged the driver they had arrested with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering. A screengrab of Maurice Robinson leaving Purfleet port. 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. Murder detectives try to identify 38 adults and teenager thought to have come in trailer from Belgium. One of the biggest murder probes in British history is launched after the horrific discovery at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays. Ronan Hughes, 41, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, played "leading roles" in the smuggling conspiracy and were jailed for 20 and 27 years respectively. 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. Parents of one of the youngest victims, Nguyen Huy Hung, who was 15 when he died, paid tribute to their peaceful and smart son. "We are working with Thurrock Council to mitigate against any impact our investigation scene will have locally.". In the days after the news broke, Waterglade Industrial Estate was swarmed by police, forensics and press. [69] Counsel for the defence argued that many of the alleged offences occurred outside the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom and that the extradition warrant was unclear about whether the United Kingdom was asserting that the alleged offences occurred in UK jurisdiction or were extraterritorial. [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". Read about our approach to external linking. A 25-year-old lorry driver from Northern Ireland has been arrested, Essex Police says. The cars collecting the people inside the lorry drove away from the scene. [45], On 1 November, a man from Northern Ireland was re-arrested in the holding cells of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin following the execution of a European Arrest Warrant issued in the UK. The trial exposed for the first time a complex and lucrative operation which has for years illegally brought Vietnamese people into the UK. [35][39] He appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on 28 October, when the Crown Prosecution Service alleged that he was part of a "global ring" of people smugglers. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. Detectives believe the vehicle was travelling from Bulgaria and entered the UK three days ago via Holyhead in north Wales, one of the main port for ferries from Ireland. Many of the 28 men, eight women and three boys found dead in the trailer were in Paris the day before their deaths. Channel 4 defended its decision as meeting its public service obligations, arguing that revelation of the ease with which people could be smuggled into Britain had become a "matter of urgent public interest". Sign up to the EssexLive newsletter below for the latest news straight to your inbox: If you're looking for a way to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from around Essex, the EssexLive newsletter is a good place to start. "I can't breathe," he said. 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. Essex lorry deaths: UK Vietnamese group hands photos of missing to police. A teenager's body was among the 39 discovered in the HGV at around 1.40am. The twice-daily update will deliver the top news and features to your inbox every morning and evening. Three others members of the people-smuggling gang were also sentenced for conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration. [21] The family of a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman made public her last text message to her parents which she sent as she was dying;[22] her family said they paid around 30,000 to smuggle their daughter from Vietnam to the UK. One of those was Nguyen Thi Hong, whose husband Bui Phan Thang died in the lorry. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 48 year old Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici is believed to be part of the conspiracy to smuggle the migrants into the UK. Matthew Long, deputy director of National Crime Agency, said the whole idea of some kind of special service was a con. [86], Campaigners against human trafficking organised a vigil to take place outside the Home Office on 24 October in solidarity with the casualties. Later, before the trailer was loaded on to a ferry, the driver had opened the doors and told them to "keep quiet all the time" and stand in the middle of the trailer and hold on to each other. Other people involved in the case were jailed for between one and 10 years. 2023 BBC. These are the first photographs of the lorry where 39 bodies were discovered today.
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