Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers: Detective retired after probe

Det Ch Insp Daniel Stoten has since retired from the police

A police officer who investigated the deaths of 39 migrants in a container said it had left him in "real dark place" and made him decide it was his last homicide case.

The Vietnamese migrants died in the sealed lorry en route from Belgium to Purfleet in Essex in October 2019.

Four men were later jailed for manslaughter.

Det Ch Insp Daniel Stoten, who has now retired, said it was the "largest investigation in our force's history".

The inquiry began after lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened his sealed container at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays to find the migrants dead.

That was the start of the uncovering of a people-smuggling ring, which is the subject of a documentary called Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers, due to air at 21:00 BST on Wednesday on BBC Two.

The the moment Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV

Det Ch Insp Stoten, from Essex Police, said: "I've been a police officer for over 30 years. I have led a number of large murder investigations. Nothing touched this.

"Thirty-nine people had died... and their justice [was] in my hands.

"I sat there and thought 'wow, am I good enough for this?'."

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Robinson, Eamonn Harrison, Ronan Hughes and Gheorghe Nica were all jailed for manslaughter in January, receiving jail sentences of up to 27 years.

Reflecting on the case, Det Ch Insp Stoten, said: "This has been such a journey, physically and emotionally.

"I had some periods of time when I felt myself in a real dark place. I took the decision this would be my last homicide investigation."

The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered suffocated in a sealed container, usually used for refrigeration, on 23 October 2019

The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK

The documentary also speaks to families of the Vietnamese victims, including Nguyen Thi Hong, whose husband Bui Phan Thang died.

The couple had three children and she said: "The kids miss their dad. The younger child wants to play piggyback with him again.

"There are times when I feel like giving up, but then I look at my children.

"They have already lost their dad. they couldn't live without their mother. I have to keep going."