Evil resides in those who peddle false hope

In death they have been afforded far more dignity than in life. Police officers stood to silent attention as their bodies were driven past. Broadcasters have spoken in hushed tones about efforts to identify each and every one of the 39 souls who died in unspeakable torment.

Like livestock being driven to slaughter, these eight woman and 31 men, believed to be Chinese nationals, were loaded into a refrigerated container on the European mainland and taken across to an industrial park in Grays, Essex.

The lorry travelled from Zeebrugge, in Belgium, ostensibly taking them to a brighter future. Nobody yet knows when they perished in the cold and dark, cries unheard, their presence unknown.

Did these brave – and whatever the legalities, it is brave to leave your homeland and take a leap into the unknown – desperate and ill-advised individuals have any concept of the risks? How much of their life savings had they paid to the traffickers, who first took their assets, then robbed them of their lives? Were they victims of the modern slavery trade, which has seen a 72 per cent rise in victims in the UK in the past year alone, thanks to county lines drugs gangs and other types of labour exploitation.

These and a great many other questions need answers, but first and foremost those responsible for the deaths must be caught and brought to justice.

Police are probing whether

a suspected Irish peoplesmuggling ring may have been involved.

Meanwhile, the bodies of those who died are being painstakingly recovered so that identification can begin.

Anyone who mistakenly believes that smuggling migrants into Britain is a victimless crime, or even some sort of a noble endeavour, must think again. In 2000, 58 Chinese migrants were found suffocated to death in a lorry at Dover.

There is nothing wrong with seeking a better life. The evil resides in the ruthless criminals who exploit and dehumanise the vulnerable and the distraught, manipulating their expectations, peddling false hope.

Yes, there are frantic, frightened people willing to hand over every penny they own to escape their circumstances.

By placing themselves in the hands of traffickers they enter into a pact with the devil; they have no inkling that death could be the price.