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CCTV footage of the moment a driver parked his truck and trailer and discovered the bodies of 39 illegal Vietnamese immigrants inside have been replayed in court.
Four men are on trial at the Old Bailey in connection with the deaths of men, women and children, aged 15 to 44, who were found after the airtight trailer was ferried from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in Essex.
In the video from October 23 last year, truck driver Maurice Robinson is seen walking to the rear and opening the door to the right a little before steam is seen leaving it on Eastern Avenue, Grays, to the 1.13 am.
Robinson has admitted to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to aid illegal immigration and acquisition of criminal property
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said Robinson made two calls to carrier Ronan Hughes, who had previously instructed him to “give them air quickly. Do not let them out.”
About 23 minutes after finding the bodies, Robinson dialed 999 at 1.36 a.m.
An emergency call was played on the court by Robinson in which he said: “They are all lying on the ground.”
The operator asked, “Are you breathing?”
Robinson: “No, I don’t think so. I heard a noise from the back, so I opened the door.”
Operator: “How many patients?”
Ronan Hughes has admitted to involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to aid illegal immigration
Robinson: “About 25.”
Operator: “And they are not breathing?”
Robinson: “No.”
Jurors were shown a screenshot of Robinson’s phone, which had picked up the trailer from Purfleet Harbor.
The prosecutor said it was a photograph of a text exchange he had on Snapchat with someone with the username RHughes301.
It said, “Give them air quickly. Don’t let them out.” Robinson responded with a thumbs-up emoji, the prosecutor said.
A Snapchat message allegedly from Ronan Hughes to Maurice Robinson
Jurors were told that the exchange occurred sometime between midnight and 1:20 a.m.
During the trial, the driver of a tow truck said in a statement that he had lifted the trailer off the deck of the ship after it had arrived at the port of Purfleet.
He said, “When I passed the doors and got to the left side of the trailer, I suddenly noticed a strong smell, a smell of decomposition.”
The court was also told that the dying victims wrote desperate text messages to their families when the air ran out and the temperature rose to 38.5 ° C.
A voice in the background in a video message said, “Come on everyone. Open up, open up.”
Jurors were told that the MV Clementine ferry left Belgian port at 4pm UK time for a journey that lasted more than eight hours.
The prosecutor said the temperature inside the trailer peaked at 38.5 ° C sometime after 9 p.m.
Forensic experts at the site where the bodies of 39 illegal Vietnamese migrants were found
Jurors heard that between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. the carbon dioxide (CO2) inside the trailer had reached its toxic threshold, although the prosecutor said no evidence had been agreed upon and that the jury would hear witnesses. .
Eamonn Harrison, 23, a Northern Irish truck driver who drove the trailer to the Zeebrugge ferry port, denies 39 counts of manslaughter. He also denies one count of conspiracy to aid illegal immigration.
Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, denies 39 counts of manslaughter, but has admitted conspiracy to aid illegal immigration.
Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, and Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Northern Ireland, deny the conspiracy to aid illegal immigration.
Maurice Robinson, 25, from Northern Ireland, has admitted to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to aid illegal immigration and acquisition of criminal property.
Ronan Hughes, 40, from Ireland, admitted manslaughter and conspiracy to aid illegal immigration.
Gazmir Nuzi, 42, from North London, and Alexandru Hanga have admitted conspiracy to aid illegal immigration.
The trial continues.
