Men 'who were members of international people-smuggling ring' stand trial over deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in back of refrigerated lorry
- Eamonn Harrison, 23, and Gheorghe Nice, 43, are accused of killing migrants
- Christopher Kennedy and Valentin Calota are 'part of international ferrying ring'
- All four suspects have denied everything they are accused of
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 (pictured), 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 (pictured), 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 (pictured), 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 (left) was the youngest of the group, 10 of whom were teenagers. Nguyen Dinh Lurong, 20, (right) was also named among those who died
Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, (left) and cousins Nguyen van Hung, 33, (centre) and Hoang Van Tiep, 18, (right) 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.
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