39 Bodies found in Lorry in Essex

What so he wasn't even the guy driving it across the country?

*Those stupid maps.

The trailer didn't even go anywhere. It arrived in the UK in essex and they arrested the guy who collected it.

I had the impression the first time I looked the bloody thing arrived the other side of the country then went all the way to essex.
 
Last edited:
MadMossy said:
So it would seem to be at least, he has nothing to do with it, just wrong time wrong place. He collected the trailer at 1:10am, police arrived on scene less than 30 minutes later where the bodies were discovered. Your unlikely to freeze to death in 30 minutes or less in those refridgeration units, oxygen might have been a problem.
Click to expand...


Agreed most likely dead long before he had collected the trailer. should have checked it but didn't.

Feel Sorry for the driver if he is indeed Innocent. He should also sue the media for slating his name about.

Innocent until proven guilty.
 
Hotwired said:
What so he wasn't even the guy driving it across the country?
Click to expand...

Nope, he drove the cab cross country but the trailer was collected from Essex having arrived on a container ship early morning. So the migrants were likely inside it already having boarded in belgium and died in transit, if the trailer had security tags in place still on the back door, he might not have opened the door. Not that it would have made the slightest difference if they were already dead. Like I said, with adequate clothing and huddled up they could easily manage 30+ minutes in the freezer.
 
Scania said:
I’m sorry to admit that ambivalence is my overriding emotion here.
I'm certainly not happy that these people have lost their lives, neither though am I saddened by it tbh.
Had they wanted to they could have been still alive - but safe from whatever they were fleeing - in say France for example.
RIP.
Click to expand...

Out of interest, wrt process, do you usually inspect a trailer upon possession?, or might this lad have collected it, drove to a halting site up the road to do his inspection, and when he did, found the bodies, and phone the paramedics?
 
Destination said:
Out of interest, wrt process, do you usually inspect a trailer upon possession?, or might this lad have collected it, drove to a halting site up the road to do his inspection, and when he did, found the bodies, and phone the paramedics?
Click to expand...

At our sites the drivers perform* a walkaround to check general integrity of the container and inspect any customs seals on the doors for tampering.

*should do it but tend not to get out of their cabs
 
Destination said:
Out of interest, wrt process, do you usually inspect a trailer upon possession?, or might this lad have collected it, drove to a halting site up the road to do his inspection, and when he did, found the bodies, and phone the paramedics?
Click to expand...
I’m guessing (as are we all) that he’s rocked upto the port to collect a trailer, chances are it was sealed and he wouldn’t have opened it,by definition of a reefer trailer being a box design the load inside is secured by the box as such there’s no need for the driver to check the load for security, he may have checked the seal number & lights etc that would be it.

Again, I’m assuming he got the trailer from the port and drove to Thurrock to unload (I know exactly where this was, been there myself) a goods in clerk probably came out to him saying we’ve got paperwork for the 26 pallets but nothing for the corpses, delivery refused!
 
Dis86 said:
At our sites the drivers perform* a walkaround to check general integrity of the container and inspect any customs seals on the doors for tampering.

*should do it but tend not to get out of their cabs
Click to expand...

But they have to get out of their cabs to hook the trailer up?
 
MadMossy said:
Nope, he drove the cab cross country but the trailer was collected from Essex having arrived on a container ship early morning. So the migrants were likely inside it already having boarded in belgium and died in transit, if the trailer had security tags in place still on the back door, he might not have opened the door. Not that it would have made the slightest difference if they were already dead. Like I said, with adequate clothing and huddled up they could easily manage 30+ minutes in the freezer.
Click to expand...

There was an interview on the news with a haulage guy. From some sort of haulage governing body, but I can’t remember the name.. He said that the traffickers even go to lengths of taking the doors off to keep the seals intact and then bolt them back on once everyone has got in! So it’s not always a given that the tags being on mean it hasn’t been tampered with..

Edit: it was the road haulage association.

Also purfleet where it came in is apparently known you be a week spot by the traffickers with no onsite border force.
 
Last edited:
I'm not 100% sure, but I think I may have spoken to the driver once a while ago. He saw my MR2 turbo and was into Japanese imports so started a conversation. I could be wrong, but the truck is pretty distinctive and I remember him being around the same age as me, which was pretty young to be driving a truck like that. If it was him, he seemed to be a nice guy but I guess you can never tell from a short conversation. Unless he was in on it, I'd feel very sorry for him as the slightest mistake or forgotten check could see him in jail for a very long time.
 
At our place the drivers take a tractor unit down to purfleet check the seal hitch up and drive it back to our depot , no reason for them to open the back doors.
Dont know why he stopped after 30 mins and opened the doors unless someone was still alive and making a noise.
 
Bounce said:
But they have to get out of their cabs to hook the trailer up?
Click to expand...
If he’s picking up a trailer from the port he would have to hook up to it yes, the trailer is pulled off the ferry by a tug and left in a trailer park.

Unfortunately, even had the occupants still being alive (which is highly unlikely) you wouldn’t have heard any noise from inside the trailer, partly because they are very well insulated which muffles sound as well as keeps temperature, add to that the noise of the truck ticking over along with the reefer unit roaring away and you wouldn’t have heard a thing even if they’d had hammers banging on the trailer doors.


Bounce said:
Haulage companies don't employ people to couple trailers up, that's just nonsense.
Click to expand...
The primary role of our night yard man at work is to couple up trailers ready for that given drivers start time the next morning, driver rocks up at say 4am ,like I do, all I have to do is my walk around checks and off I go.
 
jsmoke said:
Cops waiting?
Click to expand...
Called upon discovery of 39 corpses, the driver was attempting delivery from what I’ve read elsewhere.

I’m puzzled as to why the driver is under arrest on suspicion of murder though IF he has indeed just rocked up and collected a pre delivered from the ferry sealed trailer, I’m beginning to wonder from the gist of a few trucking related Facebook posts that there’s a lot more to this.

As with anything, time will tell.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom