Prosecutors today showed jurors what they claimed was footage of a people-smuggling gang trafficking migrants into the UK two weeks before 39 Vietnamese victims suffocated to death in a lorry on the same route.
Gheorghe Nica and Eamonn Harrison are accused of the manslaughter of the group, who died in a trailer transported from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet, Essex, on October 23 last year.
Along with Christopher Kennedy and Valentin Calota, they were allegedly part of a wider people-smuggling operation behind two earlier successful runs on October 11 and October 18 last year.
Jurors at the Old Bailey today watched CCTV footage from Orsett Golf Club on October 11, which allegedly captured Kennedy’s red lorry in a convoy of dark cars, led by suspect Marius Draghici, who remains at large, with Nica, Alexandru Hanga and Gazmir Nuzi following behind.
The court was told that Nica, an alleged key organiser, had sent a message to Hanga on WhatsApp beforehand to check he was bringing his large Audi ‘funeral car’ with him that morning.
Local residents Stewart Cox and Marie Andrews witnessed the alleged transfer of up to 20 people from the lorry to the waiting cars and dialled 999 to raise the alarm, jurors heard.
CCTV footage from Orsett Golf Club on October 11 allegedly captured Kennedy’s red lorry in a convoy of dark cars, led by suspect Marius Draghici, who remains at large, with Nica, Alexandru Hanga and Gazmir Nuzi following behind
The footage also shows Kennedy arriving at Purfleet Port to pick up the trailer on October 11
Giving evidence from behind a screen, Mr Cox said he was ‘shocked’ at what he saw as he left for work and called for Ms Andrews to ring the emergency services.
He said a red and white lorry had pulled up with four Mercedes vehicles all facing the same way.
He told jurors: ‘I noticed there was a lorry out there, which was a very strange time in the morning to be parked out there.
‘As I looked I was shocked to see people jumping out the lorry.
‘I started to panic, a bit shocked to see what I could see. I ran to Marie and said ‘call the police, it ain’t right’.
‘I just see people getting out the back of the lorry with rucksacks. They was running towards the cars to get in the cars.’
He said there were between 10 to 20 people, one a man aged around 30 with black hair and a rucksack.
He said it was very difficult to describe what they looked like, suggesting they might have been Eastern European.
After the cars left, the lorry pulled forward and then reversed ‘sharply’, he said.
‘The lorry was in a real hurry to get away. I could see he was panicking.’
The witness said he wanted to take a picture but panicked and saw the number plate on the lorry was covered up.
On hearing of the deaths of 39 people on October 23, Ms Andrews contacted the police again to remind them of the report she had made on October 11, the court heard.
Mr Cox also told jurors he had contacted police on October 4 about another alleged incident involving one of the Mercedes cars he saw on October 11.
On that occasion he allegedly saw two Eastern Europeans arguing about ‘import export’.
Meanwhile, a defence barrister was accused of ‘stressing out’ the witness as he quizzed Mr Cox about ‘dodgy activity’ on the farm.
Mr Cox said his neighbours had put up razor wire and bollards around their property and appeared to be engaged in ‘shady’ dealings.
He told Aftab Jafferjee QC said neighbour Daniel O’Nion, who was his wife’s nephew, would disappear from the house and stay at his mother-in-law’s while ‘shifty’ drivers passed through the area.
Asked repeatedly which parts of the farm were accessible to visitors, Mr Cox said: ‘I’m here to tell the truth, yeah?
‘And that’s what I’m doing. If you’re asking the same question all the time.
‘You’re stressing me out that’s all you’re doing.’
Mr Jafferjee apologised and told Mr Cox he was asking ‘straightforward’ questions based on his witness statement.
The witness carried on describing what had happened, but later on fired back: ‘Again you’re stressing me out, yeah?
‘I’ve got a condition I’m not sitting here for the fun of it.’
Referring to Daniel and another neighbour, Gary, the QC said: ‘Are both of them very guarded about their business?’
‘Yes,’ Mr Cox said.
‘And never divulge information?’
‘I don’t know,’ the resident replied.
‘Your impression is that they’re very guarded in their business?’ the barrister went on.
‘Yes,’ came the reply.
‘Was your impression that whenever you go there people are being shifty and trying to hide things?’ Mr Jafferjee asked.
‘Yes,’ Mr Cox said.
‘Would it be a fair description to say that effectively there’s all sorts of things going on there at all times of day and night?’ the lawyer said.
‘Yes,’ the witness replied.
‘Given the kind of activity that may take place there was it your understanding that not only is it a case of lots of people were coming and going but there can be about 20 or 30 vehicles a day?’ the barrister asked.
‘Yes,’ Mr Cox said.
The witness agreed when he was asked: ‘Would dodgy activity be a fair description of what happens there? Dodgy activity?’
‘Whenever anything dodgy is going on there, Daniel has a habit of getting in the car and driving away sitting at mum-in-law’s address and returning?’ Mr Jafferjee asked.
‘That’s correct,’ came the reply.
‘The impression is that he knows what’s going on and at the time the dodgy activity takes place he does a disappearance and then returns?’ the QC said.
‘Yes,’ Mr Cox replied.
Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Gheorghe Nica (left) and Eamonn Harrison (right) two of four men to face trial, at the Old Bailey in London, for being part of an alleged people-smuggling ring linked to the death of 39 migrants in a lorry in Essex
Police and forensic officers at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, on October 23 last year after 39 bodies of Vietnamese migrants were found inside the lorry
The court rose for a break after the witness told Mr Jafferjee he was ‘not here for the fun of it’ and felt anxious about the cross-examination.
The witness saw a ‘thug’ with his hands around a man’s throat a week before he watched the migrants jump out of a van outside his home, the court heard.
Mr Cox said he had seen two associates fighting outside his property on or around 4 October – seven days before the successful delivery of 15 to 20 non-EU citizens at the farm.
Addressing the sighting in more detail, Mr Jafferjee asked: ‘There was an argument, yes?’
‘Yes,’ came the reply.
‘Male A had Male B around the throat?’ the lawyer asked.
‘Yes,’ came the reply.
‘Eastern European was the impression, and with dark brown cropped hair?’ the QC went on.
‘Yes,’ the witness answered.
‘You described Male A as looking like a thug… You can recall he was very aggressive?’ Mr Jafferjee said.
‘Yes,’ Mr Cox replied.
The witness said there came a point in the feud when ‘Male A’ ‘turned at looked directly at [him]’ but that the pair returned to their feud after eye contact was made.
The trial resumed today, three days after being halted on Monday when police intelligence officer Chris Couves turned pale and had to leave the witness box in the middle of his evidence to take a coronavirus test.
Jurors were told on their return by Mr Justice Sweeney that Mr Couves’ co-analyst, Catherine Taylor, was able to replace him.
Ms Taylor took the stand where she will take jurors through GPS and cellsite data tracking Harrison’s journey through France and Belgium on October 10.
On this occasion, he allegedly arranged a rendezvous at Chemin Noord-Straete in France, where he picked up 15-20 migrants and dropped them off at Zeebrugge.
They later sailed to Purfleet, Essex, where they were picked up by Kennedy, matching the route that the 39 migrants took a fortnight later when the journey went ‘dreadfully wrong,’ the court heard.
There had been ‘enough oxygen’ and ‘fewer people’ in the trailer during that trip – preventing temperatures from reaching the ‘unbearable’ highs they did on 23 October.
Pham Thi Tra My, pictured left and right, was one of the victims of the tragedy in Essex last year
Nguyen Dinh Luong, pictured left, and Nguyen Huy Hung, pictured right, were among the victims
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones has asked jurors to consider whether heat in the container soared to 38.5C on the fatal journey because the smugglers got ‘greedy’ and tried to do two loads in one.
One of the Vietnamese migrants who was successfully ferried over on the 10 October trip will later give evidence in the trial anonymously, jurors heard.
Migrants were routinely taken to Collingwood Farm, near Orsett, from the port of Purfleet where they were collected by Nica and ferried down to Dulwich, southeast London, prosecutors claim.
Jurors were played footage of a convoy of cars driven by Nica along with his alleged associates Hanga, Draghici and Nuzi.
The ring conspired with haulier boss Ronan Hughes, 40, who has admitted the 39 counts of manslaughter which Harrison and Nica deny, it was said.
Intelligence analyst Ms Taylor said Hughes had sent a text to Caolan Gormley – who allegedly employed Kennedy – on the 11 October trip, reading: ‘Well lad that trailer will be with you in the morning.
‘Still OK to collect?’
Within two seconds Gormley allegedly replied: ‘Yes that’s no problem bud’ before calling Kennedy.
Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, and Harrison, 23, deny the manslaughters of 39 Vietnamese people, aged between 15 and 44.
Harrison, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland, Kennedy, 24, of Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, and Calota, 37, of Birmingham, deny being part of the people-smuggling conspiracy, which Nica has admitted.
Jurors have heard that four others have admitted a role in the people-smuggling ring.
The trial continues.