Essex lorry deaths – what happened and who are the victims?

THE discovery of 39 dead bodies in a refrigerated lorry sparked one of the largest mass murder probes Britain has ever seen.

Here we take a look at the circumstances surrounding the horrifying case.

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What happened?

Ambulance crews were called to an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, just before 1.40am local time on Wednesday, October 23.

There they found the 39 migrants dead in the back of a refrigerated lorry.

Cops launched a mass murder probe and made their first arrest just hours after the discovery.

The victims were all moved to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. The cause of death is in the process of being established.

Who are the 39 victims?

All 39 victims were Vietnamese.

Ten teenagers, including two 15-year-old boys, were among the dead.

Their names were released on November 7, two weeks after they were taken to be identified.

Among the victims was Pham Thi Tra My, 26, who texted her parents in her final moments.

"I’m sorry Mum, my path to abroad didn’t succeed," she wrote.

"Mum, I love you and Dad so much! I’m dying because I can’t breathe.”

What route did the lorry take?

Cops are still working to establish what happened on the night of the discovery.

They found the lorry cab driver, Maurice Robinson, picked up a trailer from Purfleet, Essex, and travelled from Zeebrugge, Belgium, at 12.30am.

Cops said the cab and trailer were then attached and driven away from the port at around 1.05am.

The anonymous phone call tipping off the discovery was made just 35 minutes later.

Cops have found the lorry's cab had travelled from Holyhead on October 19 - but without anything attached.

New data has shown the GPS tracker on the trailer was switched on at 3.06pm on October 15 after travelling from Dublin to Monaghan, near the border with Northern Ireland.

It then stopped at Warwickshire and Kent before crossing the Channel to Belgium, and making its way on to Calais and Dunkirk.

From here, it went back to the UK via Belgium and then repeated the journey before the victims made the perilous 173-mile journey in the refrigerated container to Purfleet.

CCTV shows the lorry making its final journey packed with the migrants 30 minutes before the grim discovery was made.

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What charges have been made?

Cops have made a number of arrests since the horrific discovery.

Maurice "Mo"  Robinson, 25, was arrested on the day of the grim find.

He has  since been charged with a string of offences, including 39 counts of manslaughter.

Robinson, from County Armagh in Northern Ireland, didn't own the lorry, which was registered in Bulgaria in 2017 by an Irish company.

Christopher Kennedy, from Northern Ireland, has now been charged with human trafficking offences.

The 23-year-old is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday, November 25.

Ronan Hughes and 34-year-old younger brother Christopher Hughes, both of Co Armagh, are both being sought by police.

Eamon Harrison, 22, from Mayobridge, Co Down, appeared at the High Court in Dublin over a European Arrest Warrant to have him extradited to the UK.

He faces extradition after allegedly delivering the trailer the migrants were found in to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before its onward journey to Britain.

There is no suggestion the brothers were aware of the plot to smuggle migrants using the cab or the container.

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Were there any warning signs?

Police warned the government three years ago that people smugglers were targeting Purfleet - the Essex port where the lorry container carrying the 39 migrants docked.

Ministers were told by the National Crime Agency (NCA) that the port was being used by people smugglers because it was "less busy" than other ports.

Five years ago, one migrant died and 35 others - including children - were rescued from a container at nearby Tilbury Docks.

Workers heard screaming and banging from the 40ft container soon after a P&O ferry docked in the Essex port.

This article was based on announcements publicly made by the Essex Police in October and November 2019. Christopher Hughes has since denied any involvement in these deaths and the Essex Police has subsequently confirmed that no further action will be taken against him.