Lorry driver ‘part of global network of smugglers’
● 25-year-old faces court after 39 bodies found in refrigerated trailer
A lorry driver accused of the manslaughter of 39 migrants was part of a “global ring” involved in smuggling large numbers of people into the UK, a court has heard.
Maurice Robinson, 25, was arrested after the bodies of eight women and 31 men were found in the refrigerated trailer attached to his lorry in Essex last week.
He has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter.
The gruesome discovery has sparked an international investigation to try to identify the victims, many of whom are believed to be Vietnamese.
A lorry driver accused of the manslaughter of 39 migrants was part of a “global ring” involved in smuggling large numbers of people into the UK, a court has heard.
Maurice Robinson, 25, was arrested after the bodies of eight women and 31 men were found in the refrigerated trailer attached to his lorry in an industrial park in Grays, Essex, early last Wednesday.
Robinson, from Craigavon, County Armagh, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court yesterday via video link. His hearing coincided with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to Thurrock Council offices in Essex to sign a book of condolence to the victims.
Robinson is charged with 39 counts of manslaughter of persons unknown, conspiracy to traffic people between 1 December 2018 and 24 October this year and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between the same dates.
Both the human trafficking charge and the unlawful immigration charge relate to the 39 bodies found in the lorry.
He was further charged with one count of acquiring criminal property and one count of concealing criminal property. At his brief court appearance, prosecutor Ogheneruona Iguyovwe described the conspiracy charges as “a global ring” involving “the movement of a large number of illegal immigrants into the UK”.
Robinson was not asked to indicate a plea and will next appear at the Old Bailey on 25 November.
District Judge Timothy King remanded him in custody. Robinson’s solicitor Julian Hayes made no application for bail.
Four other people have been arrested but not charged, including one in Dublin who remains in custody. The other three have been freed on bail while under investigation.
The gruesome discovery last week has sparked a huge international investigation to try to identify the victims.
Police initially believed the 39 were all Chinese nationals, but Vietnamese men and women are now feared to be among the dead and other nationalities may be involved.
All of the bodies have been moved from the lorry in Tilbury Docks to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortem examinations to be carried out.
It is understood that few had identification documents, forcing investigations to rely on features such as fingerprints, scars and tattoos to try to trace their families.
The BBC said it had been in contact with six Vietnamese families who fear their relatives are among the dead, with some having the smuggling fees repaid.
The Vietnamese ambassador to the UK, Tran Ngoc An, spoke to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday night before meeting investigators from the National Crime Agency and Essex Police.
British authorities have given Vietnam documents on four of the victims to help determine if they are from that country.
The family of a 15-year-old boy from Vietnam fear he is the youngest victim of the people-traffickers. Relatives of Nguyen Huy Hung met police after communications with him ended on 22 October.