Men accused of being members of an 'international people-smuggling ring' have gone on trial in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in the back of a refrigerated lorry.
Irish truck driver Eamonn Harrison , 23, and British-Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, are accused of killing eight women, two boys and 29 men on October 23
Irish truck driver Eamonn Harrison, 23, and British-Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, are accused of killing eight women, two boys and 29 men on October 23.
Christopher Kennedy, 24, and Valentin Calota, 37, who was absent from today’s hearing, are said to have been linked to an international ring ferrying non-EU citizens into the UK.
Prosecutors claim Harrison drove the trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before it sailed to Purfleet in Essex and the bodies were found near the Dartford Crossing.
Bald and Nica appeared dressed in a dark shirt and trousers alongside Harrison, wearing glasses and a purple shirt, before Mr Justice Sweeney.
Kennedy was produced via video-link from a separate courtroom flanked by Serco guards in order to maintain social distancing measures as all three spoke only to confirm their details.
Calota was unable to attend the hearing due to a medical appointment and the court heard the swearing in of the jury will take place on Wednesday when all four defendants are present.
Harrison, from Mayobridge, County Down, denies 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
Christopher Kennedy , 24, and Valentin Calota, 37, who was absent from today’s hearing, are said to have been linked to an international ring ferrying non-EU citizens into the UK
Prosecutors claim Harrison drove the trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before it sailed to Purfleet in Essex and the bodies were found near the Dartford Crossing (pictured, the truck which carried the migrants)
Nica, of Mimosa Close, Langdon Hills, Basildon, Essex, denies 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
Ronan Hughes , 40, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Vietnamese migrants who were found dead in a lorry container in Essex
Kennedy, of Corkley Road, Northern Ireland, denies conspiring to commit human trafficking and assisting unlawful immigration between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019.
Calota, of Cossington Road, Birmingham, denies conspiring to smuggle non-EU nationals into the UK, contrary to immigration law, between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.
However, in August a haulier admitted killing the migrants who died in the back of the lorry.
Ronan Hughes, 40, was part of an international ring ferrying non-EU citizens into the country.
He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the manslaughter of eight women, two boys and 29 who were found in the back of a truck driven by Maurice Robinson, 25, in an industrial estate near Grays, Essex.
Pham Tra My, 26, has been confirmed as among the 39 people who died in a lorry in Essex
Fifteen-year-old Nguyen Huy Hung was the youngest of the group, 10 of whom were teenagers. Nguyen Dinh Lurong, 20, was also named among those who died
Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, and cousins Nguyen van Hung, 33, and Hoang Van Tiep, 18, are also among the dead
Carpenter Le Van Ha, 30, father-of-two Vo Ngoc Nam, 28, and Nguyen Dinh Tu, 26, have also been named among the dead
The victims were were from five provinces in the central, coastal area of Vietnam and two provinces near Hanoi
Hughes also admitted conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration.
He appeared in the dock alongside Eamonn Harrison, 23.
The 23-year-old was arrested at Dublin Port as he returned from France last 26 October before the pair were extradited from the Republic of Ireland.
Their trial is due to start on Wednesday.
Who were the 39 people who died in the Esssex lorry container?
These are the names of the victims of the Essex truck tragedy are:
Pham Thi Tra My, a 26-year-old woman from Ha Tinh
Nguyen Dinh Lurong, a 20-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Nguyen Huy Phong, a 35-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Vo Nhan Du, a 19-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Tran Manh Hung, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Tran Khanh Tho, a 18-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Vo Van Linh, a 25-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Nguyen Van Nhan, a 33-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Bui Phan Thang, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh
Nguyen Huy Hung, a 15-year-old boy from Ha Tinh
Tran Thi Tho, a 21-year-old woman from Nghe An
Bui Thi Nhung, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An
Vo Ngoc Nam, a 28-year-old man from Nghe An
Nguyen Dinh Tu, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An
Le Van Ha, a 30-year-old man from Nghe An
Tran Thi Ngoc, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An
Nguyen Van Hung, a 33-year-old man from Nghe An
Hoang Van Tiep, a 18-year-old man from Nghe An
Cao Tien Dung, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An
Cao Huy Thanh, a 33-year-old man from Nghe An
Tran Thi Mai Nhung, a 18-year-old woman from Nghe An
Nguyen Minh Quang, a 20-year-old man from Nghe An
Le Trong Thanh, a 44-year-old man from Dien Chau
Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, a 28-year-old woman from Nghe An
Hoang Van Hoi, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An
Nguyen Tho Tuan, a 25-year-old man from Nghe An
Dang Huu Tuyen, a 22-year-old man from Nghe An
Nguyen Trong Thai, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An
Nguyen Van Hiep, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An
Nguyen Thi Van, a 35-year-old woman from Nghe An
Tran Hai Loc, a 35-year-old man from Nghe An
Duong Minh Tuan, a 27-year-old man from Quang Binh
Nguyen Ngoc Ha, a 32-year-old man from Quang Binh
Nguyen Tien Dung, a 33-year-old man from Quang, Binh
Phan Thi Thanh, a 41-year-old woman from Hai Phong
Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, a 34-year-old man from Thua Tien Hue
Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, a 18-year-old man from Hai Phong
Tran Ngoc Hieu, a 17-year-old boy from Hai Duong
Dinh Dinh Binh, a 15-year-old boy from Hai Phong