25-year-old driver charged over UK lorry deaths

A 25-year- old man identified as Maurice Robinson who was arrested in connection with the deaths of 39 people in a refrigerated lorry he was driving, has been charged with manslaughter and human trafficking.

According to United Kingdom police, Maurice who hails from Northern Ireland, faces a 39- count charge of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.

The police added that Maurice who was arrested shortly after the bodies were discovered in the truck at Purfleet on the River Thames estuary, would appear in court on Monday.

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Chief Superintendent of the UK police, Andrew Mariner, said on Wednesday that authorities are in the process of trying to identify the 38 adults and one teenager found in the lorry.

Al Jazeera reports that the lorry entered the UK mainland at the port of Holyhead in North Wales, which is “the transit point for freights and lorries coming in from Northern Ireland.”

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