The lorry driver accused of the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants has pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

Maurice 'Mo' Robinson, 25, of Craigavon, Northern Ireland, was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter following the discovery of the bodies inside a trailer, near the Dartford Crossing last month.

Victims were discovered aboard a container, which travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Grays, Essex on Wednesday, October 23.

The 25-year -old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property at the Old Bailey this morning.

He also faces charges of 39 counts of manslaughter as well as transferring criminal property and conspiracy to commit a human trafficking offence.

The case against him has been adjourned until December 13 at the Old Bailey.

A second man from Northern Ireland, Christopher Kennedy, was also charged with their deaths yesterday.

The 23 year-old was stopped by officers on Friday on the M40 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire with regards to the victims found inside the trailer.

He was charged with 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.

Kennedy, of County Armagh, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

No pleas were entered and his case was adjourned to the Old Bailey on December 13.

A third man from Northern Ireland was charged earlier this month in relation to the deaths of the Vietnamese migrants.

Eamonn Harrison, from Mayobridge, County Down, has also been charged with manslaughter.

He is believed to have delivered the container to Zeebrugge, Belgium, and is also accused of conspiracy to commit human trafficking and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

The 22 year-old appeared in a court in Dublin earlier this month charged with the deaths of the Vietnamese migrants.

Police are seeking his extradition and the lorry driver is being held in the Republic of Ireland, so he can stand trial in the UK.

Officers also wish to speak to Ronan Hughes, 40, and his brother Christopher, 34, who are both on the run, and are wanted on suspicion of manslaughter and human trafficking in relation to the deaths.

An identification process revealed teenagers were among those dead with 10 of those named by Essex Police under the age of 20.

All of the victims came from provinces in the north of Vietnam.

The youngest two victims were aged just 15, and the oldest a 44-year-old man from Dien Chau.

The incident has lead to some MPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee to call for a rethink on legal immigration.

Tonbridge and Malling's Tom Tugendhat, who is chairman of the committee, said it was a "wake up call".

“The case of 39 people found dead in a lorry in Essex shocked us all.

"Hundreds of families across the world are losing loved ones who felt driven to take the fatal gamble to entrust their lives to smugglers," he said.

“The UK has been relatively isolated from the different migrant crises in recent years – but it’s wrong to assume that we are protected from their impact."

Eight more people have been arrested in Vietnam.

If you have any information about the case contact police on101 or online at: https://mipp.police.uk

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