People smugglers jailed for manslaughter over 'excruciating' deaths of Vietnamese migrants killed inside lorry container

DCI Daniel Stoten outside the Old Bailey where four men were sentenced for their part in a people-smuggling plot that ended in the deaths of 39 migrants.

The migrants - Vietnamese nationals - died a shameful and horrific death inside the container in October 2019 after agreeing to pay a £13,000 fee per head to be smuggled into the country in the hopes of a better life for them and their families.

On October 22 2019, they were crammed into a lorry container to be shipped from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in Essex in pitch black and sweltering conditions.

The Old Bailey heard how they desperately tried to raise the alarm as they ran out of air before reaching British shores.

Photo issued by Essex Police of Ronan Hughes who has been jailed for 20 years at the Old Bailey in London for his role in the death of 39 migrants

The migrants, two aged just 15, were found dead by lorry driver Maurice Robinson who collected the trailer from the docks early the next morning.

Robinson, 26, of Craigavon, and his boss Ronan Hughes, 41, of Armagh, had admitted plotting to people smuggle and 39 counts of manslaughter.

Hughes’s partner in crime Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, and Eamonn Harrison, 24, of County Down, who had collected the victims on the continent, were found guilty of the offences.

On Friday, Robinson, who also admitted money laundering, was jailed for 13 years and four months in jail, Hughes was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Nica to 27 years and Harrison to 18 years.

Photo issued by Essex Police of Valentin Calota who has been jailed for four and a half years at the Old Bailey in London for his role in the death of 39 migrants

Mr Justice Sweeney said: “I have no doubt that, as asserted by the prosecution, the conspiracy was a sophisticated, long running, and profitable one to smuggle mainly Vietnamese migrants across the channel.”

The migrants had desperately tried to break out of the trailer and raise the alarm before they suffered an “excruciatingly slow death”, the judge said.

Other members of the gang were also jailed for their role in the organised criminal operation.

Lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, of County Armagh, was jailed for seven years; Valentin Calota, 38, from Birmingham, was handed four and a half years; and Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, from Essex, was sentenced to three years in custody.

Photo issued by Essex Police of Maurice Robinson who has been jailed for 13 years and four months at the Old Bailey in London for his role in the death of 39 migrants

The court had heard the operation was long-running and profitable, with the smugglers standing to make more than a million pounds in October 2019 alone.

A total of seven smuggling trips were identified between May 2018 and October 23 2019, although the court heard that there were likely to have been more.

Migrants would board lorries at a remote location on the continent to be transported to Britain where they would be picked up by a fleet of smaller vehicles organised by Nica for transfer to a safe house until payment was received.

The fee was between £10,000 and £13,000, for the “VIP route” in which the driver was aware of the presence of smuggled migrants inside the trailer attached to his lorry.

Photo issued by Essex Police of Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga who has been jailed for three years at the Old Bailey in London for his role in the death of 39 migrants

Some of the trips were thwarted by border officials and residents in Orsett, Essex, who had repeatedly reported migrants being dropped off to the police.

Yet the smuggling operation was not stopped until after the tragic journey.

The families of the victims in Vietnam and Britain have spoken of their loss and hardship.

Phan Thi Thanh, 41, had sold the family home and left her son with his godmother before setting off on the ill-fated journey.

Her “heartbroken” son said: “I heard about the incident from mass media so I called dad in the UK in order to confirm if mum was a victim.

“I was very shocked, very sad and I was crying a lot.”

Tran Hai Loc and his wife Nguyen Thi Van, both 35, who were found huddled together in death, left two children aged six and four.

The children’s grandfather Tran Dinh Thanh said: “Everyday, when they come home from school they always look at the photos of their parents on the altar.

“The decease of both parents is a big loss to them.”

Fifteen-year-old Nguyen Huy Hung’s UK-based father Nguyen Huy Tung, learned about his death on social media.

He said: “We were very shocked, trembled, we lost track and awareness of our surroundings.

“My wife had fainted many times whenever our son’s name was mentioned.”

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.