Migrants who died in lorry ‘foiled in earlier attempt’

SOME of the Vietnamese victims found dead in a lorry container in Essex were involved in a foiled people-smuggling attempt days before they died, a court heard.

The 39 men, women and children, aged between 15 and 44, suffocated as they were transported from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet on Oct 23 last year.

Four alleged people-smugglers are on trial at the Old Bailey. Gheorghe Nica 43, the alleged key player, of Basildon, Essex, and Eamonn Harrison, 23, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland, a lorry driver, who allegedly transported the migrants to the ferry at Zeebrugge, deny 39 counts of manslaughter.

They are accused with another lorry driver, Christopher Kennedy, 24, of Co Armagh, Northern Ireland and Valentin Calota 37, of Birmingham, of being part of a wider people-smuggling operation, which Nica has admitted.

Bill Emlyn Jones, prosecuting, yesterday told the court about two earlier people-smuggling trips last year. On Oct 11, the occupants of a farm near Purfleet allegedly witnessed 15 to 20 people get out of a lorry trailer and run towards a fleet of dark cars, that then sped off.

On that occasion, the trailer was dropped off by Harrison at Zeebrugge and collected by Kennedy at Purfleet who was then met by Nica and others at a nearby pick-up point, it was claimed.

Kennedy was stopped at Coquelles, near Calais in France en route to Folkestone via the Eurotunnel, the court heard. His lorry was searched and 20 Vietnamese people were discovered in the back, Mr Emlyn Jones said.

The migrants were taken away by authorities but Kennedy was allowed to continue to Kent, the court heard.

Mr Emlyn Jones told jurors: “At least two of the Vietnamese nationals turfed out of the lorry that night ended up in Harrison’s lorry on Oct 22, and were amongst the victims who died that night. So you may think that this provides a powerful link between the activities of Oct 14, and the fatal episode on the 22nd/23rd.”

The court previously heard that four other defendants have admitted their part in the people-smuggling plot.