Northern Ireland Man Charged With Human Trafficking Over Migrant Lorry Deaths in Essex - Police

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On Friday, Christopher Kennedy, a 23-year-old man from Northern Ireland, was arrested in connection with the inquiry. Kennedy will appear in court on 25 November, according to the police.

A young man from Northern Ireland has been charged with human trafficking as part of the investigation into the deaths of 39 migrants who were found frozen in a truck container in southeast England in October, the Essex police said on Sunday.

"The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised 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", the police said.

On 23 October, the Essex police found 39 frozen bodies in a truck that arrived in the UK from Belgium. Initially, the victims were believed to be Chinese nationals, but later they were identified as Vietnamese.

Several people have been detained in connection with the deaths, including the truck driver, Maurice Robinson, also from Northern Ireland, who was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and human trafficking.