Essex lorry deaths: Man charged with immigration offence
4 March 2020, 09:56
A man has been charged in connection with the ongoing investigation into the deaths of 39 Vietnamese citizens in a lorry in Essex.
Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Hobart Road, was arrested earlier this week in connection with the ongoing investigation into the deaths on 23 October 2019.
He will appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court this morning.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019.
Detectives have urged any Vietnamese nationals who may have entered the country illegally via Purfleet in October 2019 to contact them to help with the investigation.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said: “We believe that a number of other people travelled into the UK in a similar way to the 39 deceased throughout the month of October and we hope that these people would be able to help us.
“We understand that there may be concerned about coming forward and sharing their experiences, but we can assure you that your information and details will be treated in confidence.”
