Another suspect charged for human trafficking in UK lorry incident

At the scene of the incident (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

British police have charged a 23-year-old man from Northern Ireland with human trafficking as part of their inquiry into the deaths of 39 people found in the back of a container truck near London last month.

Police said in a statement that Christopher Kennedy was arrested on November 22 and is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court in England on November 25.

The Crown Prosecution Service has authorized charges of conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of people with a view to exploitation, and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, it said.

Maurice Robinson, the 25-year-old driver of the lorry, has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, and money laundering. He is expected to appear incourt on November 25.

A second man, Eamonn Harrison, 23, from Northern Ireland, who was charged with the same offences, was brought to a court in Dublin on November 21.

All of the 39 migrants found in the refrigerated container on October 23 on an industrial estate in Grays, Essex in the south of England, are Vietnamese citizens.

They had permanent residences in Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue.