[31][32], Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spoke in Dil ireann and said that Irish authorities would investigate any involvement regarding their country. "We are working with Thurrock Council to mitigate against any impact our investigation scene will have locally.". What led to her and 38 fellow Vietnamese nationals dying in the dark and sweltering heat of an airtight container? [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. 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. [63], On 17 June 2021 a Vietnamese man who is being sought by Belgian authorities for extradition in connection with the deaths was arrested at a supermarket petrol station in Middlesbrough. [1][4], The lorry cab and the trailer arrived separately in Purfleet, Essex, from where they travelled together the short distance to Grays. From this point onwards, a sensor inside the trailer tells its own story of a relentless rise in temperature. [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". Investigations revealed that they suffocated to death in 38 degrees in the refrigerated container, where all the oxygen was sucked out. 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. Officers discovered a metal post on the lorry floor. 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. Det Ch Insp Stoten said: "This crime group have been stopped on many, many, occasions in Europe and the UK - and they continued. "I immediately recognised this cab and trailer on the news as certainly being the same one that I had seen on both 11 October and 18 October, 2019," she said. "We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process. They had all paid huge sums of money to reach Britain in search of a better life - paying up to 13,000 each. Sign up here. "[64], in July 2022, Essex Police released an image of a man who is wanted in connection with the deaths. "I am receiving regular updates from the Home Office & will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened. [59] The police operation was organised with a cross-border team organised by Eurojust that included Belgium, France, the UK and Ireland. "There were desperate attempts to contact the outside world by phone and to break through the roof of the container," the judge said. 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. Many of their families borrowed heavily to fund their passage, relying on their potential future earnings once they got into the UK. He was later arrested in Germany. There were days when he called ten times. "The day he left it was 6th September. 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. He slowly brought the lorry to a stop at the industrial estate, got out of the cab and opened the trailer door. In September 2019, the younger cousin asked his parents if he could travel to the UK. The victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof but only managed to dent the interior. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Four men have been jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex. The Vietnamese 45-year-old was among 18 people who were convicted of being involved in the deaths of 31 men and eight women aged between 15 and 44. A National Crime Agency spokesman said that the individual was "suspected by the Belgian authorities of having played a key role in placing at least 10 migrants inside that lorry. The bodies were packed so tightly together, he said, that he could only check "the bodies I could reach". In the BBC documentary Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers, it shared some of the devastating testimonies from the victims' families. Someone said he should go to the UK. During the investigation, there was one crucial piece of evidence which cracked the case "wide open", a recent documentary into the deaths revealed. Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened. 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.. [51] On 16 March 2020, a man from Birmingham was charged with an immigration offence related to the incident. Investigations are being led by Essex Police, and involve the national authorities of the UK, Belgium, Ireland and Vietnam. 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. All of the paramedics who attended that night were offered "enhanced support" from the service's well-being team in the aftermath, she said. 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. "This time, they simply had too many people on board," he told the Old Bailey. Helicopter video shows the Lorry in Essex where 39 bodies were found, Thirty-nine people, including a teenager, have been found dead inside a lorry container, Witnesses near the industrial estate described the 'awful' scene, Police are seen at the industrial estate today. In an incident in Dover in June 2000, 58 Chinese nationals died in similar circumstances. Robinson, of Craigavon, County Armagh, returned to his cab before driving off and making his first call to Hughes. The two ringleaders of the people-smuggling gang responsible for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people who suffocated in a sealed refrigeration container as they were transported across the Channel from France have received prison sentences of 27 and 20 years. Read about our approach to external linking. Essex lorry deaths: UK Vietnamese group hands photos of missing to police. Nica flew out of the country the next day. 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. [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". "Maybe going to die in the container, can't breathe any more dear," read a text message typed by Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh. The friend put him in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? [75] On 8 April 2021, his extradition was approved. All 39 people who were found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex have now been named. 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. Essex Police investigate serious crime scene on Cromer Road, Southend-On-Sea, Essex. [11] The police suspect that an Irish people-smuggling ring which has been under investigation for around a year might be involved. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. On 11 October, about 15 migrants made the journey across the channel, though in a different trailer to the one in which the 39 died. [80], Two lorry drivers who were also involved in the incident were also jailed. 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. gigs and tours harry styles; ozuna and karol g kissing; thayers witch hazel original vs unscented [19][20], Initially the police said the deceased were all Chinese nationals and the Chinese embassy in London sent officials to assist with identification. 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. Earlier this month, Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, was sentenced, having admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation. Ms Andrews described ringing police again after seeing the news of the 39 deaths on social media. 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. [1], Soon after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October. "I can't breathe," he said. RM 2B4WWCW - Southend, Essex, UK. [44] On 20 April 2020, one of the brothers, a 40-year-old man, was arrested by Garda in the Republic of Ireland on a European Arrest Warrant and charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and immigration offences. Parents of one of the youngest victims, Nguyen Huy Hung, who was 15 when he died, paid tribute to their peaceful and smart son. He found none. A port worker who drove the trailer off the ship later reported noticing a pungent smell that was "similar to waste". 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. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. Read about our approach to external linking. At the Old Bailey, two lorry drivers were also jailed for manslaughter. 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. 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