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. It's one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive. Something went wrong, please try again later. I cannot take care of you. The discovery of the Thurrock 39 all began with one 999 call from 26-year-old lorry driver Maurice Robinson. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. We wouldn't transport animals in that way. Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened. He would say 'Daddy just needs to see Mummy and the kids'. 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. Other people involved in the case were jailed for between one and 10 years. [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". Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry . At 00:30 GMT on 23 October, 2019, the MV Clementine docked at Purfleet-on-Thames. "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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [65], On 25 November 2019, Maurice Robinson pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court to conspiring with others to assist illegal immigration and acquiring criminal property. ", "Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on October 25, 2019", Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, "CNN slammed for rushing to attack China in report of UK lorry death", "China says identity of victims still being confirmed", "PM orders investigation into overseas trafficking of Vietnamese citizens", "Essex lorry deaths: Vietnam condemns 'human trafficking', "Vietnam offers loans to families to return bodies", "Vietnam offers grieving families loans to return bodies", "Fundraisers help send Vietnam's lorry dead home", "Essex lorry deaths: All victims' bodies back in Vietnam", Young Vietnamese workers risking life and death on 'the line' to Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Essex_lorry_deaths&oldid=1120801721, October 2019 events in the United Kingdom, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 November 2022, at 22:09. The families of many of the victims had mortgaged their land to pay fees of up to 30,000 to people smugglers to take them in stages to the UK; the trial only focused on the final leg of the journey between France and Britain. A restaurant worker in the industrial estate, who did not want to be named, said: "There's a lot of police and forensics. [56] Bail was refused on 30 April. "All we know is they found the bodies in the back of a lorry. [37] On 27 October, it was announced that these three had been released on bail. "A load of immigrants just got out of a lorry, they just got into Mercedes and all that," Ms Andrews told the 999 operator. [77], On 11 January 2021, Gazmir Nuzi was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment after admitting a limited role in the smuggling ring, with the prosecution accepting that he was not part of the organised crime group. Signing up to the newsletter is simple. However the involvement of the lorry drivers offered them no protection when too many people were packed into one container. His father, Hoang Van Lanh, believed his son was tricked, possibly at the last moment. [11][12], On 2 November, police clarified they were all Vietnamese. "[53], On 17 April 2020, a 42-year-old man from Tottenham was charged with an immigration offence related to the deaths. Additionally, money was donated by Vingroup, and other Vietnamese associations across Europe. One of them, a man known to the court only as Witness X, gave evidence at the Old Bailey. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Speaking previously, Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner, of Essex Police, said: "This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives. 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. Numbers of Vietnamese people reported as potential human trafficking victims in the past three years. White forensic tents were erected and camera crews were set up to document the investigation as the eyes of the world looked on. "We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process. [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. 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. [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. One of the biggest murder probes in British history is launched after the horrific discovery at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays. The court heard Robinson - who discovered the bodies after collecting the trailer when it arrived in Purfleet, Essex - had received a message from Hughes which read: "Give them air quickly, don't let them out.". His co-conspirator Gheorghe Nica, 43, a Romanian lorry mechanic who helped coordinate the transport of the migrants, and who was found guilty last year of manslaughter and people-smuggling, was sentenced by Mr Justice Sweeney to 27 years in prison. Robinson, from County Armagh, collected the trailer when it arrived on UK shores just after midnight on 23 October. He knew, in his own words, what had happened was "very, very bad" and that there would be a "big investigation". "All were to no avail and, before the ship reached Purfleet, [the victims] all died in what must have been an excruciatingly painful death. 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. The four defendants charged with manslaughter all said they had not intended harm to the victims, but the judge noted that the conspiracy was committed for financial gain. [75] On 8 April 2021, his extradition was approved. [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. [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. They had all paid huge sums of money to reach Britain in search of a better life - paying up to 13,000 each. [54] On 20 April 2020 a 40-year-old man was arrested in the Republic of Ireland in connection with the deaths. [4] Other refugee groups have expressed concern that the border confusion surrounding Brexit will give more opportunities for groups to commit similar crimes. These are the first photographs of the lorry where 39 bodies were discovered today. On Monday . In a tweet published shortly before 10.30am Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Im appalled by this tragic incident in Essex. From the French capital, they had made their way to a town called Bierne, in northern France. They're not breathing.". Communicating on the messaging app Viber, Phong agreed to arrange the trip for Witness X for 13,000. 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 use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives & their loved ones.". ". 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. Many of the 28 men, eight women and three boys found dead in the trailer were in Paris the day before their deaths. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [56] His solicitor applied for bail and the prosecution opposed it. Speculation was rife as drips of information were fed through, clarified and confirmed while politicians stepped in to comment on the deadly discovery. Witness X asked that friend for help. In September 2019, the younger cousin asked his parents if he could travel to the UK. [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". Essex lorry deaths: UK Vietnamese group hands photos of missing to police. 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. A 25-year-old Vietnamese woman is believed to be among the dead after her family received a haunting series of text messages. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The deaths have been a wake-up call for police. 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