Police ensured they were taken to the mortuary, and then had their post-mortem examinations carried out, together. I am sorry. "This time, they simply had too many people on board," he told the Old Bailey. Have a good life. Nica flew out of the country the next day. After his brief drive around Grays, Robinson again parked up at the industrial estate. "We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our enquiries continue. [11][12], On 2 November, police clarified they were all Vietnamese. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. 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. [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. Both were found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to transport and assist illegal migrants. He called us all the time. [51] On 16 March 2020, a man from Birmingham was charged with an immigration offence related to the incident. 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. Police were called at 5am. [75] On 8 April 2021, his extradition was approved. Thurrock deaths: Aerial footage of lorry container in Essex where 39 bodies have been found. PC Jack Emerson was one of the first at the scene. We wouldn't transport animals in that way. Want the latest Essex news direct to your inbox? [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. "For the 39 men and women inside, that lorry had become their tomb. Sixteen days after police officers found the pile of bodies in the back of the refrigerated lorry. [4] The deceased31 males and 8 femalesincluded 10 teenagers; the 2 youngest were 15-year-old boys.[15]. A number of the migrants discovered in France were later found dead inside the container in Essex. [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. [92][93] The question was then further criticised by Chinese media after the victims were found not to be Chinese. 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. 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. All of the paramedics who attended that night were offered "enhanced support" from the service's well-being team in the aftermath, she said. 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. Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. Det Ch Insp Daniel Stoten said: "May this serve as a warning to those who think it's OK to prey on the vulnerabilities of migrants and their families, transporting them in a way worse than we would transport animals. [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. White forensic tents were erected and camera crews were set up to document the investigation as the eyes of the world looked on. Emailwebnews@trinitymirror.com. He slowly brought the lorry to a stop at the industrial estate, got out of the cab and opened the trailer door. While Hughes admitted manslaughter, both Nica and Harrison were convicted by a jury. They had all paid huge sums of money to reach Britain in search of a better life - paying up to 13,000 each. 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. [94][95][96] [71][72] Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, of Tilbury, and Gazmir Nuzi, of Tottenham, also pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration in June and September 2020 respectively. Families of Vietnamese migrants found dead in lorry in Essex to be paid 180,000, Essex lorry deaths: Man charged with 39 counts of manslaughter appears in court, Essex lorry deaths: Police release image of suspect Marius Draghici wanted in connection with deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals. [11] The police suspect that an Irish people-smuggling ring which has been under investigation for around a year might be involved. He had wanted to give his wife and three children a better life. What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? Police have begun the process of moving the bodies of 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry in Essex. The red and white lorry is pictured at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, surrounded by forensic. But he couldn't find work in Germany. Witness X described how he was ushered on to the back of the trailer at a rendezvous point in northern France. The discovery of the Thurrock 39 all began with one 999 call from 26-year-old lorry driver Maurice Robinson. 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. His loss is so sudden for us. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. The chief constable of Essex police, Ben-Julian Harrington, said this was the biggest operation in his forces history. [43] Two days later, the prosecutor said that the lorry driver pretended that the trailer was filled with cookies and biscuits. Ronan Hughes, 41, who ran a haulage company and organised the lorries and drivers to transport the migrants, was sentenced to 20 years at the Old Bailey on Friday. [69] Judge Burns remanded the accused until 12 June 2020, when Ireland's High Court ordered his extradition to the UK. 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 . Alongside the crucial testimony - giving a voice to the 39 - Essex Police was able to extradite Ronan Hughes back to the UK from Ireland. "And finding out at the very last minute, and realising as you die, that the VIP service was a terrible lie, is exactly what you see from these organised crime groups. [97], After reports that Vietnamese citizens might be among the deceased, Nguyn Xun Phc, Vietnamese Prime Minister, ordered the country's Public Security Ministry and the authorities of its two central provinces of H Tnh and Ngh An, where a number of missing citizens come from, to launch a probe into the case. "Maybe going to die in the container, can't breathe any more dear," read a text message typed by Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh. In September 2019, the younger cousin asked his parents if he could travel to the UK. On Saturday afternoon, Essex Police provided a fresh update revealing at the 25-year-old lorry driver had now been charged. It's one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive. Matthew Long, deputy director of National Crime Agency, said the whole idea of some kind of special service was a con. [14] The investigation was the "largest mass fatality victim identification" investigation in the history of Essex Police. Christopher Kennedy, 24, from County Armagh, was jailed for seven years; Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, for four-and-a-half years; and Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, of Hobart Road, Tilbury, Essex, was given a three-year sentence. "I am receiving regular updates from the Home Office & will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened. The friend put him in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong. Early indications suggest the victims are 38 adults and one teenager. It's awful. [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". We knew people who had already made the journey. ", "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. "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.". ", Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. In addition, Valentin Calota from Birmingham and Christopher Kennedy, from County Armagh, were found guilty of immigration offences. I am sorry. "All we know is they found the bodies in the back of a lorry. Earlier this month, Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, was sentenced, having admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation. I want to come back to my family. Each passenger paid smugglers between 10,000 and 13,000 to be brought from northern France. 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. 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. These are the first photographs of the lorry where 39 bodies were discovered today. [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. He knew, in his own words, what had happened was "very, very bad" and that there would be a "big investigation". 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. Have a good life., In the background, a voice could be heard pleading: Come on everyone. 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. Robinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. Have you been affected by this morning's incident? By the end of the trial, the gang involved in the deadly people-smuggling operation were brought to justice. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Two years on from the tragedy, we look back to mourn the lives lost and the investigation which brought those responsible to justice. 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. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. As they began to die inside the dark container, where the temperature had risen to 38.5C, they recorded farewell messages for their relatives. While the migrants were detained by the French authorities, the driver Christopher Kennedy was allowed to continue on his way to Kent. So he did.". "I saw some legs come out. They had been promised safe passage to our shores and they were lied to. [46][47] In February 2020, the man was given leave to appeal the extradition judgment. [5][6][7][8] The trailer was loaded onto the freight ferry Clementine in Zeebrugge in Belgium. On Monday . Robinson, of Craigavon, County Armagh, returned to his cab before driving off and making his first call to Hughes. 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 pleaded guilty last year to 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to bring people into the country unlawfully. [28] The National Crime Agency suggested that organised crime might be involved. The trailer's jammed. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? "We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process. [59] Thirteen people were arrested in France. [4], The investigation is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten, a Senior Investigating Officer within the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. 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. "We wouldn't transport animals in that way.". "We are working with Thurrock Council to mitigate against any impact our investigation scene will have locally.". [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. Nguyen Van Hung's mother, Pham Thi Lan, agreed. 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". [48], On 9 February 2020, a man was arrested in Northern Ireland on suspicion of manslaughter and facilitating unlawful immigration, and was released on bail. gigs and tours harry styles; ozuna and karol g kissing; thayers witch hazel original vs unscented Chilling records of his call revealed his unnervingly calm revelation of the dead bodies to the ambulance service. I cannot breathe. [77] Sentencing hearings for all eight guilty men are expected in January 2021. He did not have a chance to fulfil his dream, they said in a statement. 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. 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. Crammed into the back of Robinson's lorry were two cousins who were more than 6,000 miles (9,656km) from home. 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. [66][67] On 8 April 2020, he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the 39 victims. The French authorities, the driver Christopher Kennedy was allowed to continue on his way to Kent indications. 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