A lorry driver has been charged with manslaughter after the bodies of 39 migrants were discovered in a refrigerated trailer in Essex.
Maurice Robinson, 25, has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people over the deaths, police said on Saturday.
In a statement, Essex Police said:“The Crown Prosecution service has authorised Essex Police to charge a man in connection with the investigating the deaths of 39 people whose bodies were found in Grays on Wednesday.
“Maurice Robinson, 25, of Laurel Drive, Craigavon, Northern Ireland was arrested shortly after the discovery was made at the Waterglade Retail Park.
“He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Monday 28 October charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.”
The charges come after a man and a woman from Warrington, both 38, and a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and manslaughter on Friday. All three remain in custody.
It was initially believed that all 39 migrants found dead were Chinese nationals.
Speaking on Saturday afternoon, detective chief inspector Martin Pasmore said the “exact” nationalities of the people found in the lorry were unknown – but that he was going “to focus and engage as much as I possibly can within the Vietnamese community”.
“Although we can’t speculate at this time on the nationality of our victims, it’s clear to everybody that we are getting a large amount of engagement from the Vietnamese population, from communities at home and abroad,” Pasmore said at a press conference.
All of the bodies discovered in the refrigerated trailer have now been transferred to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.