Lorry Tragedy

Started by Square Ball, October 25, 2019, 03:37:27 PM

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tonto1888

How do they know it was people trafficking as opposed to people smuggling

David McKeown

Quote from: Eamonnca1 on October 26, 2019, 12:37:00 AM
Do they have plea bargaining in the UK?

Not in the way they do in America. Prosecutors can't offer deals or specific sentences for Co-operation etc but as we've seen with super informants big discounts may ultimately be given by the courts for assistance given to the police.
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David McKeown

Quote from: give her dixie on October 26, 2019, 02:17:44 AM
The GPS tracking information handed over by the rental firm has been very informative and shines a light on it's movements.

Not only that, but the fact that several Vietnamese people are missing has opened a new line of inquiry. 

Apparently the trailer was rented in Monaghan, travelled north, then crossed from Dublin to Holyhead overnight on Tuesday of last week.. It then crossed from Dover to Calais later that night, and was in France on Thursday. It has stopped at known migrant camp arrears. It has then apparently made a crossing from Zeebrugge to Tilbury, and back before it returned on that fateful night last Tuesday. Did that previous trip contain migrants? The pin point accuracy of the tracker will show exactly every movement of that trailer from the minute it left Monaghan on rent, until it stopped in the Industrial Estate. 

If the text message from the girl saying they couldn't breathe is to be from the fridge, then we can rule out that they froze to death. Something else went wrong. There are a couple of fridge issues that could be to blame.

If I was guessing, when the driver arrived to collect the trailer, he knew something was wrong temperature wise,
but couldn't open the door as it was sealed, and it might be checked at exit from port.
He hooks up and then drives a couple of mile into the Industrial Estate to check.

Breaking the seal isn't an issue at this stage......

He opens the doors, see's the carnage.
Ambulances are called, and then they call the police.
Driver arrested.

This evening on the news I listened to a Vietnamese official in London say that from what they know so far is that
families were paying up to £30,000 to get someone to the UK. They would be taken to China and given a false identity. (which could explain why the police initially thought they were Chinese), and then fly to Belgium or France as tourists.
Then they would meet up with contacts, and put in on trailers to the UK.

Vietnam is the 3rd largest number of people who are victims of human trafficking

He described it as people trafficking on an Industrial Scale.

BBC news had interviews with Vietnamese people in camps close to the ports in France saying they were waiting for the call to go and it was costing them up to £30,000.

The couple arrested in Warrington used to own the lorry. They said they sold it to a company in Monaghan last year. While I have heard that the lorry belonged to a company in Monaghan, I have read that the driver owned the lorry himself. Could he be the company in Monaghan who bought the lorry?

Could both parties be linked in all of this perhaps?

Journalists have been going to the house of the alleged link in Monaghan, and they have got short shift.
The Gardai have apparently said they are satisfied that there isn't a big Irish connection.

Considering people were prepared to pay £30,000 to get to the UK, it fair to say that the most difficult part is crossing the channel. Therefore, that would  mean that possibly £10,000 per person would go to those covering this part.

That's almost £400,000 for that load that went wrong. How many others got through?

I know of a large haulage firm who turned £70 million and only made £650,000 last year. 

The scale of profit on this is staggering, and it's not hard to see the attraction of it for certain people.

There can't be much lower forms of making money than trafficking people like a product or commodity.

It's like a slave trade.

Not doubting what you are saying but The accuracy of GPS data has been doubted by courts over the years as the data has at times been proven to be quite unreliable. There was a case in Newry dismissed last year when it was shown the data was suggesting lorries had been driven through the middle of the Irish Sea.
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Rossfan

On day one of this tragic story Independent newspapers had to suggest there was a dissident Republican link.
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

quit yo jibbajabba

Loyalists link too depending on what you read..

under the bar

It's a hugely lucrative business and then that only one driver had been jailed for trafficking the profit v risk is huge compared to drugs or fags.

Square Ball

Hospitals are not equipped to treat stupid

Square Ball

#22
Maurice Robinson, 25, charged with manslaughter over deaths of 39 people found in trailer in Essex, police say.

Must have something to go on. I expect there to be more arrests
Hospitals are not equipped to treat stupid

bamboo

Driver charged with manslaughter. Can we assume that he knew what was in the trailer then?

Eamonnca1

I hear the lorry men in South Armagh and Monaghan are awash with cash, driving big motors and wearing Rolex watches. They reckon something big is about to be uncovered.

give her dixie

The net is closing.....
next stop, September 10, for number 4......

Square Ball

He is further charged with conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering, the force said. Jez
Hospitals are not equipped to treat stupid

yellowcard

Was curious as to why he opened that trailer so soon after leaving the port so he must have knew what he was doing. If they were already dead by the time he hooked the trailer on can he still be charged with manslaughter?

Could be just the tip of the iceberg though, I doubt very much if a lone self employed lorry man had the wherewithal to lead the operation. I would imagine that he was just a small cog in a much bigger wheel.   

RedHand88

Are the #JusticeforMo t-shirts cancelled now?

LeoMc

Quote from: yellowcard on October 26, 2019, 05:41:36 PM
Was curious as to why he opened that trailer so soon after leaving the port so he must have knew what he was doing. If they were already dead by the time he hooked the trailer on can he still be charged with manslaughter?

Could be just the tip of the iceberg though, I doubt very much if a lone self employed lorry man had the wherewithal to lead the operation. I would imagine that he was just a small cog in a much bigger wheel.   
Opening the trailer 30 minutes after lifting it is the bit that really stands out. Three scenarios come to mind:
1: that is where he planned to let the passengers out.
2: he noticed the unit was switched off/ out of fuel when he picked it up and he knew there was a risk of suffocation but did not open it until he was clear of the docks so that he wouldn't get caught red handed.
3: he didn't know what his cargo was, noticed the fridge wasn't working but didn't check the load inside the docks as it would lead to added checks and delays.