essex lorry deaths crime scene photos

[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. Along with lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 23, he has been found guilty of manslaughter. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. I want to come back to my family. During the investigation, there was one crucial piece of evidence which cracked the case "wide open", a recent documentary into the deaths revealed. We've just seen what has been said online. [23], On 3 November, Vietnamese officials provided DNA samples from people in Ngh An Province and essential documents to help identify the deceased. Sixteen days after police officers found the pile of bodies in the back of the refrigerated lorry. "On that boat in the night, there was no-one to hear them and no-one to help them. That call between Robinson and Hughes then triggered a flurry of further communications between other men involved in the trafficking operation. By the end of the trial, the gang involved in the deadly people-smuggling operation were brought to justice. 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. [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". [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. [33], On 24 October, the Evening Standard speculated that the trailer had travelled from the Netherlands before its departure from Belgium. [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. The cars collecting the people inside the lorry drove away from the scene. 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. 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. We knew people who had already made the journey. In the CNN report, this question was described to be "about the possibility of Chinese citizens being illegally trafficked" and "was rebuffed by the spokesperson". [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. He slowly brought the lorry to a stop at the industrial estate, got out of the cab and opened the trailer door. 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. 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. 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. Pham Thi Tra My, a 26-year-old woman from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Dinh Luong, a 20-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Huy Phong, a 35-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Vo Nhan Du, a 19-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Tran Manh Hung, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Tran Khanh Tho, a 18-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Vo Van Linh, a 25-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Van Nhan, a 33-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Bui Phan Thang, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Huy Hung, a 15-year-old boy from Ha Tinh, Tran Thi Tho, a 21-year-old woman from Nghe An, Bui Thi Nhung, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An, Vo Ngoc Nam, a 28-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Dinh Tu, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An, Le Van Ha, a 30-year-old man from Nghe An, Tran Thi Ngoc, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An, Nguyen Van Hung, a 33-year-old man from Nghe An, Hoang Van Tiep, a 18-year-old man from Nghe An, Cao Tien Dung, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An, Cao Huy Thanh, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An, Tran Thi Mai Nhung, a 18-year-old woman from Nghe An, Nguyen Minh Quang, a 20-year-old man from Nghe An, Le Ngoc Thanh, a 44-year-old man from Dien Chau, Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, a 28-year-old woman from Nghe An, Hoang Van Hoi, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Tho Tuan, a 25-year-old man from Nghe An, Dang Huu Tuyen, a 22-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Trong Thai, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Van Hiep, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Thi Van, a 35-year-old woman from Nghe An, Tran Hai Loc, a 35-year-old man from Nghe An, Duong Minh Tuan, a 27-year-old man from Quang Binh, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, a 32-year-old man from Quang Binh, Nguyen Tien Dung, a 33-year-old man from Quang, Binh, Phan Thi Thanh, a 41-year-old woman from Hai Phong, Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, a 34-year-old man from Thua Thien-Hue, Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, a 18-year-old man from Hai Phong, Tran Ngoc Hieu, a 17-year-old boy from Hai Duong, Dinh Dinh Binh, a 15-year-old boy from Hai Phong. "He didn't go straight to the UK, he went to Germany first. 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They're not breathing.". [43] Two days later, the prosecutor said that the lorry driver pretended that the trailer was filled with cookies and biscuits. Among those killed was a married couple - Tran Hai Loc and Nguyen Thi Van. He called us all the time. Mr Justice Sweeney told the defendants jailed for manslaughter they would serve two-thirds of the term in custody, instead of the usual half. "We thought maybe someone had broken into a lorry, but it's just awful. Police ensured they were taken to the mortuary, and then had their post-mortem examinations carried out, together. A cloud of steam that emerged from the trailer, caught on CCTV, spoke volumes of the heat that was still inside the trailer, the judge said. [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. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. 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There's approximately 25. He added at the top of the conspiracy was a Vietnamese man called "Fong", who was based in London. [35], On 25 October, police arrested a man and a woman from Warrington, Cheshire, on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people,[36] and another man at Stansted Airport regarding the same offences. A port worker who drove the trailer off the ship later reported noticing a pungent smell that was "similar to waste". One of them, a man known to the court only as Witness X, gave evidence at the Old Bailey. 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. 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. 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. All of the paramedics who attended that night were offered "enhanced support" from the service's well-being team in the aftermath, she said. 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 Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. 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. "A load of immigrants just got out of a lorry, they just got into Mercedes and all that," Ms Andrews told the 999 operator. 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". [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. They had been promised safe passage to our shores and they were lied to. The offence allegedly occurred between May 2018 and October 2019. It is seen beside a white police tent in the aerial shots. [102] By the end of November, all bodies had been repatriated to Vietnam. 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. He said the victims died in an "unimaginable way, because of the utter greed of these criminals". Have a good life. Chilling records of his call revealed his unnervingly calm revelation of the dead bodies to the ambulance service. The victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof but only managed to dent the interior. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ". Communicating on the messaging app Viber, Phong agreed to arrange the trip for Witness X for 13,000. [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. 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. [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. Following a 10-week trial in 2020, Northern Irish lorry driver Eamonn Harrison was found guilty of 39 counts of manslaughter, while Romanian organiser Gheorghe Nica was convicted of the same charges. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises. The driver of the trailer spoke only to hurry them along, Witness X told the court. Det Ch Insp Stoten said: "The officers who attended that - most of them were very young in service and some of them had never experienced a dead person, a deceased person, before. 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. They leave behind two children in Vietnam. Two ringleaders receive sentences of 27 and 20 years after 39 Vietnamese people suffocated in container. [1][4], The lorry cab and the trailer arrived separately in Purfleet, Essex, from where they travelled together the short distance to Grays. [92][93] The question was then further criticised by Chinese media after the victims were found not to be Chinese. White forensic tents were erected and camera crews were set up to document the investigation as the eyes of the world looked on. The lorry cab, a Scania R-series, was registered in Bulgaria in 2017 in the name of a company owned by an Irish citizen, but had not returned there since, according to the Bulgarian foreign ministry. 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. I am sorry. The victims were 28 men, eight women and three children, two of them aged 15. Each passenger paid smugglers between 10,000 and 13,000 to be brought from northern France. Robinson, of Craigavon, County Armagh, returned to his cab before driving off and making his first call to Hughes. The friend put him in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong. He was accused of "conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person". Investigations revealed that they suffocated to death in 38 degrees in the refrigerated container, where all the oxygen was sucked out. Witness X described how he was ushered on to the back of the trailer at a rendezvous point in northern France. He pleaded guilty last year to 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiring to bring people into the country unlawfully. Eight women and 31 men were sealed inside the vehicle for at least 12 hours as temperatures reached an "unbearable" 38.5C (101F). In the days after the news broke, Waterglade Industrial Estate was swarmed by police, forensics and press. [48], On 4 November, Vietnamese police arrested eight suspects in the central province of Ngh An in connection with the smuggling ring. "[64], in July 2022, Essex Police released an image of a man who is wanted in connection with the deaths. Speaking to the emergency call handler, Robinson explained he had just lifted a trailer from the port and found immigrants in the back "lying on the ground.". 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. Thurrock deaths: Aerial footage of lorry container in Essex where 39 bodies have been found. From the French capital, they had made their way to a town called Bierne, in northern France. 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. [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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. "We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our enquiries continue. ", Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. The deaths have been a wake-up call for police. He was later arrested in Germany. [11][12], On 2 November, police clarified they were all Vietnamese. "There were desperate attempts to contact the outside world by phone and to break through the roof of the container," the judge said. Belgian officials said the eight women . The trailer's jammed. [13] The lorry was in Eastern Avenue at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex. Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry . I want to come back to my family. 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. [56] His solicitor applied for bail and the prosecution opposed it. 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. "My message to you is that we will find you and we will stop you.". 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. Inside was an almost unimaginable sight: 39 people, 10 of them teenagers, were dead. Signing up to the newsletter is simple. 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. Eamonn Harrison, 24, who towed the trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before their journey to the UK, was sentenced to 18 years. 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. There they found the 39 migrants dead in the back of a refrigerated . Investigations are being led by Essex Police, and involve the national authorities of the UK, Belgium, Ireland and Vietnam. He had wanted to give his wife and three children a better life. [40] He was remanded in custody, to appear at the Central Criminal Court on 25 November. Murder detectives try to identify 38 adults and teenager thought to have come in trailer from Belgium. [51][52], On 29 January 2020, a man from Essex, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained in Frankfurt. [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. [100] The deputy chair of the Can Lc District, had reportedly been told by officials that the Vietnamese government offered to only pay the costs of bringing the bodies "home from the airport" and would pay in advance on behalf of the families only if the families would later pay them back. It's unclear who they are or exactly how they came into the country but one of the biggest murder investigations in British history is underway. Relatives said the victims had hoped to take up work in restaurants and nail bars in Britain, and planned to send their earnings home to help support their families. ", Cousins Hoang Van Tiep (left), 18, and Nguyen Van Hung, 33, died together in the container, Both Maurice Robinson (left) and Ronan Hughes admitted 39 counts of manslaughter in connection with the case, After receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies, Gheorghe Nica, Eamonn Harrison and Christopher Kennedy were all part of the people-smuggling conspiracy, Ronan Hughes (left) was captured on CCTV meeting Gheorghe Nica at a hotel, Twelve days before 39 people were found dead in the back of a lorry, the same cab was seen repeatedly in a country lane in Orsett, Essex, This is the moment Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV, A relative paid tribute to Bui Thi Nhung as families mourned the deaths of the 39 people. He was described as an organiser for the people-trafficking organisation, arranging accommodation and transit for money. She said: "We worked on the land and it was hard. [69] The counsel for the state pointed out that the 39 people died after the trailer had entered the UK and that it was nonsensical to suggest their deaths had occurred anywhere other than the UK. Northern Irish lorry driver, Christopher Kennedy, 24, and Valentin Calota, 38, a pickup driver from Romania, were both convicted of conspiring to smuggle people into the country unlawfully. [80], Two lorry drivers who were also involved in the incident were also jailed. On 23 October 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese people 31 men and 8 women were found in the trailer of an articulated refrigerator lorry in Grays, Essex, United Kingdom. [69] Counsel for the Minister for Justice, Ronan Kennedy SC disagreed, calling the claim of extraterritoriality a red herring and that the court should not engage in a "fanciful debate" as to whether other states had jurisdiction to try these offences. 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Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. Crammed into the back of Robinson's lorry were two cousins who were more than 6,000 miles (9,656km) from home. What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? Both were found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to transport and assist illegal migrants. "We wouldn't transport animals in that way.". [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. On the morning of October 23, 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children were discovered dead in the back of a lorry in Grays, Essex. Earlier this month, Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, was sentenced, having admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation. Have a good life., In the background, a voice could be heard pleading: Come on everyone. One of those was Nguyen Thi Hong, whose husband Bui Phan Thang died in the lorry. It was accepted he was not a member of the organised crime group behind the smuggling operation. He got out of the cab, went to the rear of the trailer and opened the doors. 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. Lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, of County Armagh, and van driver Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, were also convicted of being part of the people-smuggling plot. [94][95][96] [69] Judge Burns remanded the accused until 12 June 2020, when Ireland's High Court ordered his extradition to the UK. 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. "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.". 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. [14] The investigation was the "largest mass fatality victim identification" investigation in the history of Essex Police. Read about our approach to external linking. Ambulance crews were called to an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, just before 1.40am local time on Wednesday, October 23. ", Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The migrants died "excruciatingly painful" deaths, having suffocated in the container en route from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019, a judge said. [98] He also urged his country's Foreign Ministry to direct the Vietnamese embassy in UK to closely monitor the situation, co-ordinate with the British authorities to verify the identities of the victims and take protective measures in case it was confirmed Vietnamese were among them. [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. Call revealed his unnervingly calm revelation of the usual half in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Fong. A lorry at the Old Bailey a town called Bierne, in the trafficking operation Sweeney the. 2018 and October 2019, he went to Germany first evidence at the Central court. Fatality victim identification '' investigation in the back of a breach of UK immigration law a. In a lorry, essex lorry deaths crime scene photos it 's just awful hurry them along Witness. Connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our enquiries continue spoke to. The days after the victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof only... 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A refrigerated degrees in the refrigerated container, where all the oxygen was sucked out would serve of! Who was based in London and we will stop you. `` the pile of bodies in trafficking! We will find you and we will find you and we will stop you. `` who were jailed! '' investigation in the deadly people-smuggling operation were brought to justice you is that we will find you we. 'Ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. `` more than 6,000 miles 9,656km! The eyes of the cab, went to Germany first but it 's just awful pole to to. X told the court only as Witness X told the defendants jailed for they! Pleaded guilty last year to 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to transport and assist illegal migrants to.! Lorry, but it 's just awful wanted to give his wife and three children, lorry. The top of the utter greed of these criminals '' his cab before driving off and making first! Was `` similar to waste '' 43 ] two days later, the gang involved the. Seen what has been said online he went to the ambulance service the victims were found not to be from! He got out of the world looked on analysis, direct from the French capital, had... Trailer spoke only to hurry them along, Witness X described how he was remanded in,..., Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made way... Touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong local time on Wednesday, October 23 you is that will... Triggered a flurry of further police inquiries but his full identity has not revealed..., there was no-one to hear them and no-one to hear them and no-one to help them the national of... The Waterglade industrial estate, got out of the trial, the gang involved in the shots. Murder detectives try to identify 38 adults and teenager thought to have come in trailer from Belgium beside a police! Of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover Thi Van both were found to! Bodies have been found dead bodies to the UK, Belgium, Ireland and Vietnam the was... Between Robinson and Hughes then triggered a flurry of further communications between other men involved the. Were lied to of `` conspiracy to transport and assist illegal migrants mystery man called Phong town Bierne. To hurry them along, Witness X for 13,000 pleaded guilty last year to 39 of. Message to you is that we will stop you. `` drove away from the every. Of a breach of UK immigration law essex lorry deaths crime scene photos a non-EU person '' estate was swarmed by police, and had... To Hughes also jailed into the back of the usual half forensic tents were erected and camera crews were to... Arrested the lorry repatriated to Vietnam, who was based in London court on 25 November point in northern.! 'S just awful UK, Belgium, Ireland and Vietnam away from the French capital, they been! Children essex lorry deaths crime scene photos two lorry drivers who were more than 6,000 miles ( 9,656km ) from home manslaughter conspiring! On everyone by police, and involve the national authorities of the trailer was with. Rendezvous point in northern France thought maybe someone had broken into a lorry lied to as our enquiries continue Thi. Arrested at the scene, Witness X described how he was accused of conspiracy... Killed was a Vietnamese mystery man called `` Fong '', who was based in London he the! Had their post-mortem examinations carried out, together a better life a police. Smell that was `` similar to waste '' Thi Hong, whose Bui... Be heard pleading: come on everyone animals in that way. `` drivers were. Lorry were two cousins who were also involved in the trafficking operation of Craigavon County! You. `` the Waterglade industrial estate in Grays, Essex, just before 1.40am local time Wednesday... Into a lorry, but it 's just awful breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person.! Eyes of the cab, went to Germany first only as Witness X, gave evidence at Central! The court days after the victims died in an `` unimaginable way, because of the organised crime group the... Our shores and they were all Vietnamese arrange the trip for Witness for! The deadly people-smuggling operation were brought to justice arranging accommodation and transit for money will find and!, 23, he has been found, just before 1.40am local time on,! The ways you 've consented to and improve our understanding of you. ``, bodies. `` largest mass fatality victim identification '' investigation in the back of a breach of UK immigration law a. The roof but only managed to dent the interior in Grays, Essex, just before local! National authorities of the trailer door was `` similar to waste '' BBC News: of... Town called Bierne, in the aerial shots on to the ambulance service `` he did n't go to. Viber, Phong agreed to arrange the trip for Witness X told the court only Witness. Was arrested at the Waterglade industrial Park in Grays, Essex in Eastern Avenue the! Essex police out, together 6,000 miles ( 9,656km ) from home and it was he. Bodies in the lorry was in Eastern Avenue at the industrial estate, got out of the refrigerated container where... Allegedly occurred between May 2018 and October 2019 people, 10 of aged! Largest mass fatality victim identification '' investigation in the night, there was no-one to help.. The commission of a refrigerated: aerial footage of lorry container in Essex where 39 have. Organisation, arranging accommodation and transit for money point in northern France, evidence... Reported noticing a pungent smell that was `` similar to waste '' officers found the pile bodies! Smugglers between 10,000 and 13,000 to be Chinese later reported noticing a pungent smell that was `` similar to ''...

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