Essex Police remember 39 victims of Grays lorry deaths

In the early hours of Wednesday, October 23, 2019, Essex Police were alerted to 39 Vietnamese men, women and children who were unresponsive in the trailer of a lorry by its driver Maurice Robinson, in Eastern Avenue, Grays.

The lorry had travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to the Port of Purfleet, in Essex.

Each of the 39 victims, and their families, had paid significant sums of money to an organised crime group whose members promised them safe passage to the UK and a life here.

Essex Police's investigation, which was carried out alongside a spectrum of public, private and international partners, has been far-reaching and has uncovered an intercontinental human trafficking conspiracy.

Tragedy - The 39 victims (Image: Essex Police)

Today, the force is remembering each of the 39 victims and their families as they reflect on the most complex and far-reaching investigation ever undertaken in Essex.

Det Chief Supt Stuart Hooper commanded the Essex Police investigation and highlighted how every officer still thinks about the 39 victims.

He said: “The investigation into this tragic loss of life will live with each and every officer and staff member from Essex Police who played their part in it.

“For many, myself included, we still think about the 39 victims and their families very often.

"The lives of the surviving family members changed forever in October 2019 when their loved ones left Vietnam under the false promise of a better life here in the UK.

“Those Vietnamese families have had their heartbreak play out for the world to see. Throughout all of that, these incredibly strong people and their incredibly stoic country have acted with dignity and with compassion.

“Crucially, they put their trust in us to deliver justice for their loved ones and their citizens. This is a responsibility I know we all took incredibly seriously."

The force recently visited Vietnam to return the victims' personal possessions.

Det Ch Supt Hooper added: “When we visited Vietnam recently to return the victims’ personal possessions we were reminded by the Vietnamese delegation of a promise we made early on in this investigation.

Remembering - Det Chief Supt Stuart Hooper (Image: Essex Police)

"That promise was that we would bring this cowardly, criminal group to justice and we would treat every victim and their family with dignity and respect and we were told that as a result of our actions in dismantling this intercontinental crime group, Essex Police will always have a special place in Vietnam.

“I believe we have earned that respect, through our work to solve this investigation, in our actions in how we built key relationships across continents and how we worked with our UK partners to ensure that everyone we know to have been involved in this horrific, greedy conspiracy has been brought to justice.”

The investigation led to the conviction of 11 people in the UK, and jail sentences of almost 120 years, as well as 18 people being convicted in France last year.

Det Ch Supt Hooper added: “As I have said before, it is the honour of my policing career to have commanded this investigation.

“For me, there are many heroes and heroines in this investigation but it is really hard to look past those first responders who had no idea what situation they were about to step into.

“They opened the container doors and saw 39 people who had lost their lives in horrific circumstances.

“And despite what they were faced with, they checked each and every person to see if there were signs of life to see if they could save their lives.

“Sadly, there was nothing they could do but that compassion and that dignity shown in those moments set the tone for what was to become an investigation no one involved will ever forget.

“But although this operation has concluded, we have very much used it as a catalyst for change, to make organised immigration crime a national priority.

“I truly hope no investigation like this must ever take place again.”