Police told of people jumping off Essex lorries

Migrant deaths trial witness claim

A “SHOCKED” witness called police three times about people jumping out of a lorry – a fortnight before the deaths of 39 migrants, a court has heard.

Marie Andrews and her partner Stewart Cox allegedly spotted a migrant drop outside their mobile home in Orsett, Essex, early on October 11 last year.

Prosecutors claim it was one of two successful people-smuggling r u n s b e f o re 3 9 Vi e t n a me s e nationals suffocated in a trailer en route from Zeebrugge to Purfleet on October 23 last year.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey yesterday, Ms Andrews told how she dialled 999 on October 11, after landscaper Mr Cox left for work and found a truck and four cars in their lane.

She told the operator “a load of immigrants just got out of a lorry into Mercs”.

Ms Andrews added there were about 15 migrants.

She said: “I saw some legs come out. It was a shock, like anybody would be shocked to see this, particularly down a lane.

“I didn’t take my eyes off the lorry while I was on the call.”

Ms Andrews went on to call the non-emergency number 101 twice, the court heard.

In the calls, she linked one of the Mercedes she had seen to an earlier incident on October 4. On that occasion, she told police “the same guy who is obviously running this was having an argument and having some guy by the throat”.

The witness also told jurors that on October 18, she saw a red lorry in the lane but did not see migrants.

Under cross-examination, Ms Andrews alleged there was “dodgy stuff ” going on in the area.

But she added the sighting on October 11 was the first time she had been aware of migrant issues.

Alleged key organiser Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, and lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 23, deny the manslaughters of 39 people, aged between 15 and 44.

In her statement read to c our t, Ms Andrews described ringing 101 again after learning of the deaths.

She said: “I immediately recognised this cab and trailer on the news as certainly being the same one that I had seen on both October 11 and October 18, 2019.”

As a result of that c a l l , Ms An d re w s became a witness in the trial.

Harrison, from Mayobridge, Co Down; Christopher Kennedy, 24, of Co Armagh, and Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, deny being part of a people-smuggling conspiracy, which Nica has admitted.

Jurors have heard that four others have admitted a role in the peoplesmuggling ring.

SCENE Lorry in Essex where victims were found