Essex lorry deaths: Man arrested on immigration offence

The bodies were discovered in a refrigerated trailer

A man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals found in a lorry in Essex.

The 31 men and eight women were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October in Grays.

A 42-year-old man from north London was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to facilitate the entry of non-EU citizens into the UK, Essex Police said.

Lorry driver Maurice Robinson admitted 39 counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on 8 April.

Co-defendant Gheorghe Nica denied the same counts and a trial is set to begin on 5 October.

The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were discovered at an industrial estate soon after the lorry arrived in the UK on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Among them were 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.