Mechanic accused of migrant deaths ‘had burner phone for four girlfriends’

A MECHANIC Accused over the deaths of 39 migrants has told jurors he had a “burner” phone for contacting his four girlfriends, not smuggling.

Gheorghe Nica, 43, is on trial at the Old Bailey charged with the manslaughter of the Vietnamese people who suffocated in a trailer en route to Essex from Belgium.

The British Romanian has admitted arranging onward transport for two successful runs but denied being involved in the tragedy on October 23 last year.

The prosecution has alleged Nica was a key organiser who used “dirty” pay-as-you-go phones for his “dirty” business.

But giving evidence, Nica, of Basildon in Essex, denied it, saying he had an unregistered phone to contact four girlfriends in and around the London area.

The divorced father-of-three has claimed he was waiting for British passports to arrive when he was roped into people smuggling on two occasions by haulier boss Ronan Hughes.

Questioned about his phone, Nica said. “It’s the same with other people, I have girlfriends.”

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones noted that whether or not Nica had four girlfriends, he would “still end up spending every night” with his friend Marius Draghici.

He said: “The use of (the phone) to make contact with these girlfriends of yours, are you saying that’s why you wanted in effect a burner phone?

“Were the girlfriends the reason for that?”

Nica replied: “Yes. (In) 2017 I divorced my wife so I don’t have very good relations with her.”

The prosecutor suggested Nica used the phone to arrange the shipment of migrants.

The defendant denied it, saying: “If I was in people smuggling business I would buy a new phone every time, which I did not.”

Jurors also heard that Nica called lorry driver Maurice Robinson, who discovered the bodies of the migrants after picking up the trailer at Purfleet early on October 23.