This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/27/essex-lorry-deaths-three-released-on-bail

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Three people released on bail over Essex lorry deaths Man arrested in Dublin 'delivered lorry deaths trailer to Zeebrugge'
(about 4 hours later)
Three people arrested in connection with the investigation into the deaths of 39 people whose bodies were found in the back of a lorry in Essex have been released on bail. A man detained at Dublin Port on Saturday is the haulier who delivered a trailer to Zeebrugge before it was found in Essex with the bodies of 39 people inside, according to Belgian authorities.
The 23-year-old Northern Irishman was identified last week but details were kept quiet, according to the Belgian public prosecutor’s office, which said that they agreed with police in Essex that British authorities would issue a European arrest warrant that enabled him to be detained.
“We were able to identify him last week in a formal way. I can’t go into detail but it was a good piece of police work,” Eric Van Der Sypt, a spokesperson for the Belgian public prosecutor’s officer, told the Guardian. “We are sure he is the driver that brought the container to the port.”
Van Der Sypt said it was his understanding that a request would be made for the man’s extradition to Britain but that Belgian authorities may also want to question him. “I think the most important thing is that the police interrogate him as soon as possible because even if he is not involved directly in the case he may have crucial information.”
The man’s lorry, a Scania, was seized as he got off a ferry in Dublin on Saturday.
The Gardaí said the man was arrested as a result of an outstanding court order for an offence in the Republic of Ireland jurisdiction and later appeared before a court in Dublin.
A spokesperson for Essex police said the force was in liaison with their Irish counterparts in relation to the arrest Dublin Port. “At this point he is only being processed by the Gardaí in relation to unconnected offences to the Essex police investigation,” he added.
The development came as three people arrested in connection with the investigation into the deaths of the 39 people whose bodies were found in the back the container in Grays were released on bail.
They were bailed on Sunday as investigators considered the possibility that the lorry in Grays was part of a convoy carrying more than 100 people, and Vietnamese police took hair and blood samples to get DNA from relatives of people feared to be among the dead.They were bailed on Sunday as investigators considered the possibility that the lorry in Grays was part of a convoy carrying more than 100 people, and Vietnamese police took hair and blood samples to get DNA from relatives of people feared to be among the dead.
The trio had been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. A 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington were arrested in Cheshire on Friday, and a 46-year-old man from Northern Ireland was arrested at Stansted on the same day. The three had been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. A 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington were arrested in Cheshire on Friday, and a 46-year-old man from Northern Ireland was arrested at Stansted on the same day.
Essex police said the man and woman from Warrington had been released on bail until 11 November, and the man from Northern Ireland had been bailed until 13 November.Essex police said the man and woman from Warrington had been released on bail until 11 November, and the man from Northern Ireland had been bailed until 13 November.
The driver of the lorry, Maurice Robinson, 25, was charged on Saturday with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. He will appear at Chelmsford magistrates court on Monday, where he will also face 39 counts of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering. The driver of the lorry, Maurice Robinson, 25, was charged on Saturday with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. He will appear at Chelmsford magistrates’ court on Monday, where he will also face 39 counts of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.
A man wanted in connection with the investigation was arrested at Dublin port on Saturday. Police in Belgium are continuing to search for the driver who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge, the port it left before arriving in the UK.
Families in Vietnam, where most of those who died are believed to have been from, have spoken about their fears for loved ones.
Fr Anthony Dang Huu Nam, a Catholic priest in Nghe An province, said he was in contact with the family members of several suspected victims.
“According to a few sources that have told me, in this case there were many people, more than 100 were on their way to a new life, but 39 died. A few families confirmed the deaths of their relatives who are the victims of this tragic journey,” he said.
Pham Tra My, 26, has not been heard from since she sent a text on Tuesday night saying she was suffocating.
“I am really, really sorry, Mum and Dad, my trip to a foreign land has failed,” she wrote. “I am dying, I can’t breathe. I love you very much Mum and Dad. I am sorry, Mother.”
Pham is reported to have paid about £30,000 to people-smugglers in order to be brought into the UK.
Her father, Pham Van Thin, told Sky News: “We tried to talk her out of it because it would be a very difficult journey for her as a girl. But she said: ‘If I don’t go, the family would stay in a very difficult situation because of the big debt.’ So she took a risk and decided to go, and we had to agree.
“We all have been in shock. I cannot explain our pain and devastating feeling. We were all very devastated and sad.”
UK newsUK news
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content