Authentic material: Reading
Comprehension
The Guardian
Police work to
identify 39 people
found dead inside
lorry in Essex
Murder investigation launched
alongside inquiry into possible
role of organised crime groups
Jamie Grierson, Oct 23rd
Police prepare to move the lorry away from the
scene in Waterglade industrial park in Grays,
Essex. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters.
Police officers are working to identify 39
people found dead in the back of a lorry
in Essex as part of a wide-ranging
murder investigation into the UK’s
worst such tragedy in almost 20 years.
The possible role of cross-border
organised crime groups was a key
priority for Essex police, who were
alerted to the bodies of 38 adults and
one teenager in the lorry at an industrial
park in Grays by the ambulance service
at 1.40am on Wednesday morning.
In a discovery that prompted
expressions of horror and demands for
justice from politicians and witnesses,
officers found the victims in the
refrigerated unit and immediately
launched a murder investigation. The
lorry was later driven away past a
cordon of officers who bowed their
heads and removed their hats.
The 25-year-old driver, identified by
police and community sources as Mo
Robinson, from Portadown in County
Armagh, was arrested on suspicion of
murder.
A parallel investigation has also begun
to examine whether organised crime
networks – widely believed to be
behind the recent surge in people-
smuggling operations seeking to bring
migrants to the UK – had played a role.
The lorry’s 25-year-old driver, Mo
Robinson, has been arrested on
suspicion of murder.
It was unclear last night whether
Robinson had been aware of any plans
to bring people to the UK. Initially police
said the lorry had originated in Bulgaria.
But amid a swirl of information they
later said the trailer – the rear section of
the vehicle containing the bodies –
travelled from Zeebrugge into Purfleet,
Essex, and docked in the Thurrock area
shortly after 12.30am.
The tractor unit – the cab section at the
front in which the driver sits – travelled
separately from Northern Ireland.
Robinson is believed to have picked up
the trailer just minutes before the
ambulance service was alerted.
On a day of fast-moving developments:
1
  The Bulgarian ministry of foreign
affairs said the Scania lorry was
registered in Varna, a city on the
country’s east coast, under the
name of a company owned by an
Irish citizen.
 The ministry added that police
said it was “highly unlikely” the
victims were Bulgarians.
 Officers from the National Crime
Agency (NCA) were brought in to
investigate the possible role of
gangs.
 The Police Service of Northern
Ireland said it was supporting the
Essex police investigation, while
the Irish police, Garda Síochána,
said they would provide every
assistance possible.
 In an unrelated incident, nine
undocumented migrants were
found alive in a lorry on the M20
in Kent and were being dealt with
by immigration authorities.
Forensic police dressed in white
coveralls were seen going in and out of
the vehicle throughout the day, where it
remained behind a cordon until shortly
before 5pm, when it was escorted by a
number of police vehicles to nearby
Tilbury Docks.
Tributes to the unidentified victims
were led by the prime minister, Boris
Johnson, who said he was “appalled by
this tragic incident”, which is the worst
of its kind in the UK since the bodies of
58 Chinese people were found in a
container at Dover, Kent, in 2000.
Ch Supt Andrew Mariner of Essex police
said: “This is a tragic incident where a
large number of people have lost their
lives. Our inquiries are ongoing to
establish what has happened.
“We are in the process of identifying the
victims, however I anticipate that this
could be a lengthy process.”
Richard Burnett, the chief executive of
the Road Haulage Association, said:
“The National Crime Agency have been
warning that traffickers are getting more
sophisticated and ruthless all the time.
We’ve had traffickers climb on top of
trucks and unbolt the entire door to let
people in and then reattach it and it
looks like the seal on the door hasn’t
been tampered with.”
Though the numberplate of the Scania
lorry was covered, its windscreen carried
a sticker reading: “Ireland, the ultimate
dream,” while a number of dream-
catcher pendants appeared to be
hanging from the rearview mirror. The
sticker matched one on an identical cab
pictured on Robinson’s Facebook page.
A member of staff at Hydraquip, one of
the businesses with premises behind the
police cordon at Waterglade industrial
park, said colleagues had not noticed the
lorry at all before going home at 5pm on
Tuesday, about nine hours before the
emergency services were called to the
scene.
It would have been noticed, said the
man, who preferred not to give his
name. “It’s not unusual for cars to park
there, but it certainly is for lorries.
They’ve got signs that say no lorries can
be parked there at all. It would have got
a ticket.”
The East of England ambulance service
refused to be drawn on the
circumstances by which it was made
aware of the incident, saying only that it
was called in the early hours of
Wednesday and sent five ambulances,
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hazardous area response teams and a
car from Essex and Herts air ambulance.
Vehicles from the British Red Cross
attended the scene at the request of
Thurrock council. The charity said its
staff and volunteers were providing
emotional support to members of the
emergency services and others dealing
with the tragedy.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, said
Home Office immigration officials were
working closely with the police to
establish what happened, while the
NCA, which has a remit to investigate
The lorry is driven away from the scene.
The NCA said: “We are aware of this
tragic incident which is now the subject
of a murder investigation being led by
Essex police and we have deployed NCA
officers to assist.
“We are working with partners including
Essex police and immigration
enforcement to provide specialist
support to urgently identify and take
action against any organised crime
groups who might have played a role in
causing these deaths.”
Patel appeared before the home affairs
select committee on Wednesday
afternoon and signalled that she was
willing to consider tougher sentences for
human traffickers and people
smugglers.
The independent MP John Woodcock
asked if Patel would commit to
Additional reporting: Lisa O’Carroll, Rory Carroll and Nazia Parveen
organised immigration crime as well as
human trafficking, said it was looking
into whether organised crime groups
might have played a role in the tragedy.
reviewing sentencing guidelines for
human trafficking.
She replied: “What we have seen
basically through the actions of these
traffickers is the worst of humanity and
it is right that we use our law
enforcement and all aspects of the law
through existing legislation to make sure
that justice is served and that the
perpetrators are prosecuted.
“He’s raised the point about sentencing
and of course we have frameworks right
now for the sentencing guidelines. It’s
something that I’m very happy to
discuss with the Ministry of Justice to
see what more we can do.”
The prime minister tweeted: “I am
receiving regular updates and the Home
Office will work closely with Essex police
as we establish exactly what has
happened”.