He said the victims died in an "unimaginable way, because of the utter greed of these criminals". On 23 November, it was reported that one of the teenagers later found dead had gone missing from an asylum centre in the Netherlands. He had seen a friend's Facebook post showing that they had made it to London. I cannot take care of you. [83][6] Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said that she was "shocked and saddened by this utterly tragic incident", and that Immigration Enforcement were working with the Essex Police. [80], Two lorry drivers who were also involved in the incident were also jailed. [80], Three other men were sentenced for conspiring to facilitate unlawful immigration: lorry driver Christopher Kennedy was sentenced to seven years, pickup driver Valentin Calota was sentenced to four and a half years and Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga was sentenced to three years. [41], On 26 October, the Irish police said they had detained a man in his 20s at Dublin Port who was of interest to Essex Police as part of its investigation into the lorry deaths. There were days when he called ten times. In September 2019, the younger cousin asked his parents if he could travel to the UK. 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. Chilling records of his call revealed his unnervingly calm revelation of the dead bodies to the ambulance service. "No-one would choose to travel in such a dangerous way," she said. A similar run was stopped at the mouth of the Eurotunnel at Coquelles in France on 14 October, when 20 Vietnamese migrants were discovered. He waited for 15 minutes and then dialled 999, telling the operator: "There's immigrants in the back. [1][2] The refrigerated trailer was leased on 15 October from a rental company in County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. Nguyen Van Hung's mother, Pham Thi Lan, agreed. All 39 people who were found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex have now been named. Inside was an almost unimaginable sight: 39 people, 10 of them teenagers, were dead. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. [4][14] The lorry driver was a 25-year-old man from Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. We choose the most important stories of the day to include in the newsletter, including crime, court news, long reads, traffic and travel, food and drink articles and more. Who are the victims in the Essex lorry tragedy? 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. [1], Soon after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October. The victims died from suffocation and hyperthermia in the confined space of the truck, which arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge, Belgium. [75] On 8 April 2021, his extradition was approved. He got out of the cab, went to the rear of the trailer and opened the doors. [4][14], The ambulance service said that all 39 people were dead before it arrived, and attempts at resuscitation could not be made. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was described as an organiser for the people-trafficking organisation, arranging accommodation and transit for money. All of the paramedics who attended that night were offered "enhanced support" from the service's well-being team in the aftermath, she said. gigs and tours harry styles; ozuna and karol g kissing; thayers witch hazel original vs unscented [34] British police had also searched two properties in Northern Ireland. ", Justice Sweeney added: "The willingness of the victims to try and enter the country illegally provides no excuse for what happened to them.". The county marks the two-year anniversary of one of the worst tragedies it's ever seen, Get the latest on all the biggest court and crime news in Essex direct from our expert court reporter. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. [21] The family of a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman made public her last text message to her parents which she sent as she was dying;[22] her family said they paid around 30,000 to smuggle their daughter from Vietnam to the UK. Essex Police investigate serious crime scene on Cromer Road, Southend-On-Sea, Essex. The friend put him in touch with a Vietnamese mystery man called Phong. PC Jack Emerson was one of the first at the scene. [43] Two days later, the prosecutor said that the lorry driver pretended that the trailer was filled with cookies and biscuits. Ms Andrews described ringing police again after seeing the news of the 39 deaths on social media. Recordings from some of the victims' final desperate phone messages were played aloud in court. [38] After extended questioning, on 26 October Essex Police charged the driver they had arrested with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering. He also denied conspiring to assist unlawful immigration over the same period, but did not enter any plea regarding 39 charges of manslaughter with which he was charged. Four people received a custodial sentence of at least 13 years. Lorry driver Maurice Robinson and haulage boss Ronan Hughes had previously admitted the manslaughter of the migrants. 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. "[64], in July 2022, Essex Police released an image of a man who is wanted in connection with the deaths. 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. Nica flew out of the country the next day. Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28, from Nghe An, wrote a text message that was never sent, The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK, Hoang Van Tiep's parents Hoang Thi Ai (left) and Hoang Van Lanh said their son had paid for a "VIP service", They are callous and they are dangerous and they are out to exploit these people. 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. Essex Police said the people were all pronounced dead at the scene in an industrial park in Grays, east of London. During the trial, jurors were given a snapshot of the victims - who included a bricklayer, a university graduate and a nail bar technician - and their dreams of a better life. "We thought maybe someone had broken into a lorry, but it's just awful. Instead of immediately dialling 999 in the early hours of 23 October, 2019, the 26-year-old's first instinct was to get back in to his cab and drive off from the estate in Grays, with the bodies in the trailer behind him. Robinson, from County Armagh, collected the trailer when it arrived on UK shores just after midnight on 23 October. Ambulance crews were called to an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, just before 1.40am local time on Wednesday, October 23. ", 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. 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". All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. This was when the victims were still believed to be of Chinese origin. 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. It was here that a number of people were seen being delivered by taxi to an agricultural shed, before later clambering into a lorry. At the Old Bailey, two lorry drivers were also jailed for manslaughter. This became Witness X who shared his fears and referred to the smugglers as "the mafia" - a testimony that revealed the drivers had known about their passengers. He described how he desperately searched for "signs of life", a pulse or a breath. In a tweet published shortly before 10.30am Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Im appalled by this tragic incident in Essex. [55] On 29 April 2020 he appeared before the High Court via videolink, during which he was described as the "ringleader" of a criminal gang. THE 39 migrants who died in the back of a lorry trailer in Essex left bloody handprints on the inside doors of the metal container, it has been reported. [33], On 24 October, the Evening Standard speculated that the trailer had travelled from the Netherlands before its departure from Belgium. We wouldn't transport animals in that way. Robinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. "[53], On 17 April 2020, a 42-year-old man from Tottenham was charged with an immigration offence related to the deaths. 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. In an incident in Dover in June 2000, 58 Chinese nationals died in similar circumstances. 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. I am sorry. Sixteen days after police officers found the pile of bodies in the back of the refrigerated lorry. [59] Authorities said a series of simultaneous early morning raids had taken place in both countries on 25 May 2020. 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.". He was also a good player. [92][93] The question was then further criticised by Chinese media after the victims were found not to be Chinese. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. [55] He faced 39 charges of manslaughter as well as immigration offences. [84] Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary, said greater international co-operation was needed to prevent similar events happening again. [77] Sentencing hearings for all eight guilty men are expected in January 2021. Lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 24, also from Northern Ireland, who collected the migrants in northern France and drove the container to Zeebrugge, was found guilty of people-smuggling and 39 counts of manslaughter in December. 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. [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're not breathing.". "Maybe going to die in the container, can't breathe any more dear," read a text message typed by Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh. 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". Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry . The bodies were packed so tightly together, he said, that he could only check "the bodies I could reach". Essex lorry deaths: Trafficking ringleader jailed for 15 years after 39 died from suffocation and hyperthermia Eight women and 31 men were sealed inside the vehicle for at least 12 hours as . [4] Following the incident, the Chief Executive of the charity group Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said that the British government needs to open safe routes and make quick decisions regarding asylum seekers to prevent such attempts, sentiments echoed by the Refugee and Migrant Rights Director of Amnesty International UK. 2023 BBC. [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. While the county came to terms with the tragedy on our doorstep, Essex Police launched the largest investigation in its history to bring down members of the international smuggling operation responsible for their deaths. The cars collecting the people inside the lorry drove away from the scene. 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 victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof but only managed to dent the interior. [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. He did not have a chance to fulfil his dream, they said in a statement. 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. Sentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney said: "I have no doubt that the conspiracy was a sophisticated, long-running and profitable one to smuggle mainly Vietnamese people across the channel.". His boss, Hughes, had messaged him: "Give them air quickly don't let them out.". mike gibbins cause of death; is neil norman any relation to barry norman; new fairfield first selectman salary; hershey red azalea care; spring boot rest api return list of objects; peter and philippa mitchell; skagit valley park ranger academy; recent arrests in torrington, ct; least intelligent celebrities; saenz v roe strict scrutiny [81], In January 2022, 19 people were convicted in Belgium of being part of a people smuggling ring connected to the deaths, including the ringleader Vo Van Hong who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After several months in Poland, he made the journey to France with his heart set on making it across the channel to the UK. 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. Thurrock deaths: Aerial footage of lorry container in Essex where 39 bodies have been found. A restaurant worker in the industrial estate, who did not want to be named, said: "There's a lot of police and forensics. Police later moved the bodies to a mortuary at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortems to be carried out. These are the first photographs of the lorry where 39 bodies were discovered today. It's one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive.

Superior Sgr 3843 Manual, Articles E