Essex lorry deaths: Two men found guilty of manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants
Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Charlie Frost
Essex resident Gheorghe Nica and lorry driver Eamonn Harrison have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people, who were found dead in a lorry trailer in Grays.
The victims, including children, suffocated in October last year as they were smuggled into Britain by a people-smuggling ring.
The jury deliberated for nearly 23 hours before convicting 43-year-old ringleader Nica, from Basildon, and 24-year-old Harrison from Co Down in Northern Ireland, of manslaughter.
They also convicted them of their part in the wider people-smuggling operation, along with two other men – 24-year-old Co Armagh man Christopher Kennedy, and 38-year-old Valentin Calota from Birmingham.
The victims, all aged between 15 and 44, were discovered in the back of the lorry trailer on 23 October 2019, having been shipped from Zeebrugge to Purfleet.
Members of the million-pound smuggling operation could be facing life behind bars.
Monday’s verdicts mean eight people have now been convicted in the UK – including the man who discovered the bodies, Northern Irish lorry driver Maurice Robinson.
The 26 year old picked up the trailer from Purfleet docks on the 23 October 2019 just after midnight, before driving it less than two miles to an industrial estate in Grays, where he opened the unit doors for the first time.
Robinson, alongside ringleader and haulier boss, 41 year old Ronan Hughes, pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter before this trial began.
Prosecutors are considering charges against a further three people.
The maximum sentence for people-smuggling is 14 years in prison with manslaughter carrying a possible life sentence.
Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten, of Essex Police, said the gang were "greedy" but "complacent".
He said: "You would not transport animals in that way, but they were quite happy to do that and put them at significant risk."
The Old Bailey heard how the gang offered a "VIP" service to Vietnamese migrants, who gathered in Belgium and France.
They charged about £13,000 a head to transport migrants in a trailer via the Channel Tunnel or by boat to Essex.
The network, led by Nica and and Hughes, had been operating for at least 18 months, despite repeatedly coming to the attention of authorities.
Charging £10,000 per migrant, Hughes looked after the logistics, whilst Nica took care of the Essex side of the operation. Organising the distribution of the migrants when they left the trailers in the UK.
The 39 victims
The victims were:
Dinh Dinh Binh, 15;
Nguyen Minh Quang, 20;
Nguyen Huy Phong, 35;
Le Van Ha, 30;
Nguyen Van Hiep, 24;
Bui Phan Thang, 37;
Nguyen Van Hung, 33;
Nguyen Huy Hung, 15;
Nguyen Tien Dung, 33;
Pham Thi Tra My, 26;
Tran Khanh Tho, 18;
Nguyen Van Nhan, 33;
Vo Ngoc Nam, 28;
Vo Van Linh, 25;
Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, 34;
Vo Nhan Du, 19;
Tran Hai Loc, 35;
Tran Manh Hung, 37;
Nguyen Thi Van, 35;
Bui Thi Nhung, 19;
Hoang Van Tiep, 18;
Tran Thi Ngoc, 19;
Phan Thi Thanh, 41;
Tran Thi Tho, 21;
Duong Minh Tuan, 27;
Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28;
Tran Thi Mai Nhung, 18;
Le Trong Thanh, 44;
Nguyen Ngoc Ha, 32;
Hoang Van Hoi, 24;
Tran Ngoc Hieu, 17;
Cao Tien Dung, 37;
Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, 18;
Dong Huu Tuyen, 22;
Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20;
Cao Huy Thanh, 37;
Nguyen Trong Thai, 26;
Nguyen Tho Tuan, 25;
Nguyen Dinh Tu, 26.
There are 39 graves in Vietnam for victims, but only two are buried together.
Nguyen Thi Van and Tran Hai Loc were the only couple inside the trailer, and when they were found they were still holding hands.
ITV News has been in contact with their family in the Nghe An province of Vietnam since the deaths were confirmed last year.
Now, Van’s family has spoken for the first time about losing both their daughter and their son-in-law.
"We didn’t know they were found hand-in-hand until now," Van’s brother, Nguyen Xuan Thuy, said.
"They loved each other very much. Anything they did, anywhere they went, they were always together.
"Now I know that even when they died, and before they left this world, they were still together.”
The couple had two children who are still in Vietnam.
They were told their parents were leaving to set up a new home for the family overseas, but they would be going to join their mum and dad in the UK once it was safe.
Largest investigation in Essex Police history
Chief Constable of Essex Police, Ben Julian Harrington reads a statement outside Essex Police HQ.
This has been a huge undertaking for Essex Police, the worlds eyes were on the force from the moment this story broke on the morning of the 23 October 2019.
It is the largest investigation in its 180 year history, involving more than 1,300 staff and officers, working with international agencies.
Staff traveled to Vietnam and also worked with their counterparts in Northern Ireland and Belgium.
It has also changed the way the country deals with organised immigration crime like this, with Essex Police saying it's handling of this case, has led to a 'massive' reduction in the number of people being brought into the UK in lorries.
DCI Daniel Stoten said, “Most often now throughout the country the lorry driver is arrested and investigated. That was something that wasn’t happening before this investigation started, so we have changed national procedures, and you see it has actually lead to a number of lorry drivers being charged with offences. We have really reduced, massively reduced the number of people being brought into the UK in the back of lorries. And of course now, we need to look wider.”