‘MASS MURDER’ TRAGEDY
How tragic final journey of 39 dead migrants unfolded in icy coffin on back of Irish cab
THIS is the final journey of the icy coffin that carried the dead bodies of 39 suspected migrants from Belgium to Essex.
The bodies of 38 adults and one teen were found in the back of a refrigerated HGV in an industrial estate in Essex today - sparking one of the biggest murder probes in British history.
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Police tonight confirmed the exact journey of the lorry cab and container - after earlier reports suggested it travelled from Bulgaria.
The cab and its driver Mo Robinson, 25, from near Portadown, Northern Ireland, arrived into Holyhead, Wales on Saturday.
He is believed to have driven his cab over the border to Dublin, then taken a vehicle ferry to North Wales.
Meanwhile, the trailer arrived separately, docking at Purfleet, Essex from Zeebrugge at 12.30am today.
Cops said the cab and trailer were then attached and driven away from the port at around 1.05am.
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Less than 35 minutes later ambulance paramedics and cops made the grim discovery of the 39 bodies of the suspected migrants in the trailer at Waterglade Industrial Park.
Robinson remains in custody tonight having been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Confirmation from police about the trailer's route into the UK comes after initial reports claimed the lorry may have travelled from Bulgaria to Essex via Ireland.
It is now clear that the lorry is registered in Bulgaria to an Irish woman and has not returned to its native country since 2017.
Robinson's Facebook and Instagram pages are littered with pictures of his lorry - which he calls his 'Polar Express'.
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He boasts about frequently taking lorry trips to Denmark and Sweden and has been a HGV driver for more than five years.
Robinson's open Facebook page reveals he is a lorry driver - with pictures of what appears to be the same cab as the lorry involved in the horror.
It has an identical “The Ultimate Dream” decal on the windscreen - with Robinson branding it "The Polar Express" on his social media.
Robinson has also used the hashtag "irishfridgemen" while posting about the lorry on Instagram.
'GOOD, DECENT GUY'
Tonight, police investigating the deaths raided two homes in County Armagh.
A 25-year-old former schoolmate of the arrested lorry driver told Sun Online: "When I found out who it was I really could not believe it.
"He was in my year for two years. Everybody that has ever met him has only positive things to say.
"He is a really chilled, good, decent guy. all the people he is friends with are from a really nice group. He is just a normal, decent guy. You can't imagine anyone saying anything bad about him."
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DUP councillor Paul Berry told MailOnline this evening that dad-to-be Robinson's family were "distraught".
Mr Berry said: "I've spoken to the family a couple of times,’ he said. ‘At this stage they haven't been informed of anything and the police don't have to in these circumstances.
"Obviously they are very distraught. His mother is incredibly as well as his partner. They are just waiting for news. People keep ringing them up and asking ‘is it true?’ but they just don’t know.
"They contacted police themselves but a sergeant said he couldn’t tell them anything. It does seem unfair. The family at least should know that he has been arrested."
'LITTLE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL'
Cops said tonight the lorry are being moved from the industrial estate to a "secure location" at Tilbury Docks to recover the bodies.
Haulage experts said the group who died had “little or no chance of survival”.
Even if the trailer was not chilled the victims may have suffered agonising deaths as oxygen slowly ran out.
Last night sources close to Irish police said the lorry’s refrigeration unit was turned on.
They said the container was normally used to transport biscuits.
The lorry had been captured on Automatic Number Plate Recognition 25 times in recent weeks between Dublin and Holyhead.
Forklift dealer Andy Larkin, who works on the Essex industrial estate where the lorry was found, says he spotted the cab parked in a similar spot just 12 hours before the bodies were found.
He said: “I walked down that way around 2pm on Tuesday and spotted it. It stood out because it had lots of chrome work on the cab, it looked American, a custom job.
“The curtains in the cab were shut so maybe the driver was having a kip when I was walking past.
“I also noticed it because it was parked outside an old warehouse.
“It used to be a refrigerated warehouse but it’s been shut for a few months.”
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Robinson’s left-hand drive cab, which is he is not thought to own, is licensed in Bulgaria to a firm run by an Irish woman.
He doesn't own the lorry, which was registered in Bulgaria in 2017 by an Irish company.
The 39 people who died have not yet been identified by police.
Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills, of Essex Police, said: "In order to maintain the dignity of the people who have sadly lost their lives, we will be moving the lorry and trailer shortly.
“Once that movement has happened we will remain here to complete some scene examinations before we can allow all the business operators back to their premises.
The lorry and the trailer will he moved to a secure location at Tilbury Docks so the bodies can be recovered
Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills
“The lorry and the trailer will he moved to a secure location at Tilbury Docks so the bodies can be recovered whilst preserving the dignity of the victims.
“We are yet to identify them and must manage this sensitively with their families."
Experts say the container appears to be refrigerated – meaning temperatures can reach as low as -25C causing people to “lose their lives pretty quickly”.
It is not yet known how the victims died or if the refrigerator was switched on.
'HUNTED DOWN'
Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said the “horrific conditions” would be “absolutely horrendous” in the dark lorry.
He added: “This tragedy highlights the danger of migrant gangs people-smuggling on lorries.
“It’s highly unlikely that if this vehicle has come from Europe that it’s been physically checked.”
Condemning those responsible for the deaths, Boris Johnson told the Commons today he believed people traffickers should be "hunted down".
The National Crime Agency confirmed they are assisting Essex Police and Immigration Enforcement to "urgently identify any organised crime groups" who may be involved.
A cordon is in place at Waterglade Industrial Park, which is currently closed.
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It is also a mile from Intu Lakeside shopping centre and the M25 Dartford Crossing.
Meanwhile, Nine suspected migrants have been rescued from the back of a truck on the M20 in Kent travelling towards London.
The incident happened between Junction 9 near Ashford and Junction 8 near Maidstone.
Officers said there are seven-mile traffic jams in the area with journey times more than an hour and a half longer than normal.
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