LORRY DRIVER JAILED OVER 39 DEATHS CAN SERVE IN NORTH
A LORRY driver jailed for his part in a peoplesmuggling operation that ended in the tragic deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in an airtight container in Essex has been moved to a prison in the North.
Maurice Robinson, 29, from Craigavon, Co Armagh, was jailed in 2021 for 13 years and four months after admitting multiple counts of manslaughter.
It was Robinson who discovered the bodies of 39 men, women and children in a refrigerated trailer after picking up the container at Purfleet early on October 23 2019 for a fee of £500.
The PA news agency understands that Robinson, who served the first part of his sentence in England, has now been moved to Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim.
Prisoners can be moved between different jurisdictions in the UK as part of transfer arrangements to allow them access to a “supportive family environment”.
Move
Prison sources confirmed that Robinson was moved to Maghaberry, near Lisburn, in March.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Prison Service said it could not comment on individual cases.
The spokesperson added: “However, prisoners serving sentences in the UK may apply to be transferred from one jurisdiction to another under intra-UK prisoner transfer arrangements providing they meet certain qualifying criteria.
“These include having close family (ie: a partner, children, parents, grandparents or a wider supportive family circle) resident in the receiving jurisdiction.
“These arrangements help provide prisoners with easier access to a supportive family environment, which is considered a crucial element of a prisoner’s rehabilitation journey.”
Eleven men were jailed for their part in the people-smuggling operation in 2019. The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were found at an industrial estate soon after the lorry arrived in the UK on a ferry from Zeebrugge.