BBC Documentary to Unravel Migrant Deaths
What started with a chilling 999 call from a local lorry driver in Essex, ended in a hunt for those responsible for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants.
The two ringleaders of the people-smuggling gang responsible for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people, Ronan Hughes and Gheorghe Nica, received prison sentences of 27 and 20 years.
Mo Robinson, 26, the lorry driver involved from Co Armagh, was paid £25,000 in cash to pick up the container. He had been instructed to open the lorry trailer to give the migrants air shortly after collecting it from Purfleet docks.
When he opened the doors, he found they were all dead. He waited 20 minutes before calling emergency services. Last year Robinson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and people-smuggling, he was sentenced to 13 years and four months.
Hunting The Essex Lorry Killers begins airing Wednesday, October 13 at 9pm on BBC2. It will be available on BBC iPlayer also.