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. The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK, [Left to right] Eamonn Harrison, Ronan Hughes, Gheorghe Nica and Maurice Robinson were all jailed for manslaughter, [Left to right] Valentin Calota, Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga and Christopher Kennedy were also sentenced on Friday, The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October 2019, After receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies, The moment lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV, Ronan Hughes (left) met Gheorghe Nica at a budget hotel in Thurrock, Essex, learned of his son's death via social media, admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser. 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. He pleaded guilty last year to 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to bring people into the country unlawfully. Eleven of the victims - believed to be Chinese nationals - were taken by ambulance from . After his brief drive around Grays, Robinson again parked up at the industrial estate. a recent documentary into the deaths revealed. Parents of one of the youngest victims, Nguyen Huy Hung, who was 15 when he died, paid tribute to their peaceful and smart son. [1][2] The refrigerated trailer was leased on 15 October from a rental company in County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. Open up, open up., Another father, Nguyen Tho Tuan, recorded a spoken message for his own family saying: "I am sorry. Sign up here. "[64], in July 2022, Essex Police released an image of a man who is wanted in connection with the deaths. ", Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. "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. "I want to come back to my family. [84] Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary, said greater international co-operation was needed to prevent similar events happening again. [4], The investigation is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten, a Senior Investigating Officer within the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. They're all lying on the ground. On Monday . 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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. His barrister said Robinson, who admitted manslaughter, being part of the trafficking plot and money laundering, was "horrified by what he saw". On 23 November, it was reported that one of the teenagers later found dead had gone missing from an asylum centre in the Netherlands. Police later moved the bodies to a mortuary at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortems to be carried out. 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. "Maybe going to die in the container, can't breathe any more dear," read a text message typed by Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh. 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 was charged with 41 offences, including 39 of manslaughter, and extradition proceedings began in the Irish High Court. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. The stories of the 39 show their journeys from Vietnam were often done in stages. [80], Two lorry drivers who were also involved in the incident were also jailed. He found none. [4][14] The lorry driver was a 25-year-old man from Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Post-mortem examinations found they died of overheating and a lack of oxygen. [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. [4] Other refugee groups have expressed concern that the border confusion surrounding Brexit will give more opportunities for groups to commit similar crimes. 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. The journey of 23 October and the earlier failed run on 14 October were connected, said Bill Emlyn Jones, who prosecuted the case. [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. [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. [1], Soon after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October. [28] The National Crime Agency suggested that organised crime might be involved. Ronan Hughes, 41, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, played "leading roles" in the smuggling conspiracy and were jailed for 20 and 27 years respectively. 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. Witness X described how he was ushered on to the back of the trailer at a rendezvous point in northern France. Belgian officials said the eight women . [77] Sentencing hearings for all eight guilty men are expected in January 2021. [59] Authorities said a series of simultaneous early morning raids had taken place in both countries on 25 May 2020. One of those was Nguyen Thi Hong, whose husband Bui Phan Thang died in the lorry. 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. [102] By the end of November, all bodies had been repatriated to Vietnam. Police believe that the cab was driven from Northern Ireland on 19 October. [16][17] There have been a number of incidents in which migrants to Europe died or were injured as a result of dangerous transportation methods. He was charged with unrelated offences. Nica flew out of the country the next day. Ms Andrews described ringing police again after seeing the news of the 39 deaths on social media. [59] Thirteen people were arrested in France. [69][70], On 28 August 2020 Ronan Hughes, from County Armagh, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people found in the trailer. "All we know is they found the bodies in the back of a lorry. An international criminal investigation into a major people-smuggling operation was set to begin. [46][47] In February 2020, the man was given leave to appeal the extradition judgment. 42 Essex Lorry Deaths Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 42 Essex Lorry Deaths Premium High Res Photos Browse 42 essex lorry deaths stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten, who led the investigation, described how one single fingerprint found in another one of Hughes' lorries was "gold dust", leading to another man who made the same journey a week before. Lorry driver Maurice Robinson and haulage boss Ronan Hughes had previously admitted the manslaughter of the migrants. 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. 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. Hughes, of County Monaghan, Ireland, and Robinson, who took the initial 999 call had previously admitted manslaughter. 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. 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. Exactly two years ago, Essex was dealt one of the worst tragedies it's ever seen. So he did.". 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. They had all paid huge sums of money to reach Britain in search of a better life - paying up to 13,000 each. My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives & their loved ones.". [91], In an editorial headlined, "The UK must bear responsibility," the Global Times, a state-run newspaper, said that the responsibility for the deaths lay with Britain and other European countries. RM 2B4WWCW - Southend, Essex, UK. [75] On 8 April 2021, his extradition was approved. 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. 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. 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). One of them was Gheorghe Nica. Read about our approach to external linking. "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. ", "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. In addition, Valentin Calota from Birmingham and Christopher Kennedy, from County Armagh, were found guilty of immigration offences. Three others members of the people-smuggling gang were also sentenced for conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration. Each passenger paid smugglers between 10,000 and 13,000 to be brought from northern France. [12], On 23 October 2019, shortly after 01:40 BST, staff of the East of England Ambulance Service responding to a 999 call made by the driver, Maurice Robinson, who found 39 bodies in a refrigerated articulated lorry. [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. It was a shock, like anybody would be shocked to see this, particularly down a lane people would not know," Ms Andrews told the Old Bailey. Earlier this month, Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, was sentenced, having admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation. Additionally, money was donated by Vingroup, and other Vietnamese associations across Europe. The prosecution described the people-smuggling conspiracy as sophisticated, long-running and profitable. 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. [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. The trial examined three smuggling attempts by the gang - two that were successful on 11 and 18 October, and the final trip on 23 October. "There were desperate attempts to contact the outside world by phone and to break through the roof of the container," the judge said. [61] On 14 April 2021 he pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in 2023. "We wouldn't transport animals in that way.". "[53], On 17 April 2020, a 42-year-old man from Tottenham was charged with an immigration offence related to the deaths. 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. Maurice Robinson, 26, was given 13 years and four months, having collected the trailer and opened it in an industrial estate to find the migrants dead. [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. A similar run was stopped at the mouth of the Eurotunnel at Coquelles in France on 14 October, when 20 Vietnamese migrants were discovered. 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 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. It's one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive. Shortly after 01:00, having picked up the trailer, Robinson got a SnapChat message from Ronan Hughes, his 40-year-old haulage boss from County Monaghan, Ireland. Robinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. [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. He was described as an organiser for the people-trafficking organisation, arranging accommodation and transit for money. [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. Some wanted to work in nail salons while one of the 15-year-olds who died said he would find work in an illegal cannabis farm. Among those killed was a married couple - Tran Hai Loc and Nguyen Thi Van. 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