Lorry deaths: driver was part of global ring of smugglers, court told
A lorry driver accused of the manslaughter of 39 people was part of a “global ring” of smugglers trafficking people into the UK, a court has heard.
Maurice Robinson, 25, known as Mo, appeared in Chelmsford magistrates court by video link on Monday morning and was read the charges he faces – which include human trafficking – after dozens of suspected migrants were found dead in a refrigerated trailer in Grays, Essex, in the early hours of Wednesday.
He was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey in London in November.
Robinson was not asked to indicate a plea to any of the 39 counts of manslaughter of “unknown persons”, one count of conspiracy to facilitate human trafficking and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between 1 December 2018 and 24 October this year. He was also charged with two counts of money laundering, which included one count of concealing criminal property and one count of acquiring criminal property.
The defendant spoke on three occasions during the hearing, twice to confirm he could hear the clerk and the judge and thirdly to state his name, British nationality and address in Northern Ireland. He will appear at the Old Bailey on 25 November for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
Ogheneruona Iguyovwe, prosecuting, cited the “nature and gravity” of the alleged offences and requested for Robinson to be remanded in custody. “He has been involved in a global ring facilitating movement of a large number of illegal immigrants into the UK,” she said.
The district judge, Timothy Kay, said Robinson’s solicitor, Julian Hayes, had made no application for bail. “You have heard the nature of the allegations you face and the majority of these can only be dealt with in the crown court,” he told Robinson. “I therefore allocate all matters to the central criminal court on 25 November and you will be required to enter your pleas on that occasion.”
Robinson, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, was arrested shortly after the bodies of eight women and 31 men were found in the refrigerated trailer attached to his Scania cab in an industrial park in Grays in the early hours of 23 October.
His hearing coincided with Boris Johnson’s visit to Thurrock council offices in Essex to sign a book of condolence to the victims.
The prime minister wrote: “The whole nation and indeed the world has been shocked by this tragedy and the cruelty of the fate that has been suffered by innocent people who were hoping for a better life in this country.”
Meanwhile, Essex police are expected to visit Dublin this week to interview and seek the extradition of a lorry driver arrested at the city’s port on Saturday. Irish police detained the 23-year-old, from County Down, after he drove his truck off a ferry that had sailed from France.
Essex police have identified the driver as a person of interest in the investigation. He is suspected of having brought the refrigerated trailer in which the bodies were found to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before it travelled on a ferry to England.
Gardaí detained him on a warrant for assault and criminal damage in an unrelated case.