Thread by @JEMilneSky

Back at the Old Bailey today for the continuation of the opening in the trial in relation to the deaths of 39 people whose bodies were found in a refrigerated trailer in Essex on October 23 2019. Proceedings from 1030 this morning.

Emlyn Jones QC begins by tracing Eamonn Harrison's location on the 10th Oct. On this date he was in Nieppe. EJ QC says this is significant because we see him returning to this location on a number of occasions, which is important when trying to work out where the migrants joined

Eamonn Harrison returned to this location in Nieppe on the 17th Oct according to GPS data. On the 10th, he moved on to La Chapelle d’Armentiere - another place to which Harrison returns on the 14th Oct.

EJ QC says Mr Harrison then drove north into Belgium towards Zeebrugge. His lorry is captured on an ANPR camera locating him near the France-Belgium boarder.

EJ QC says before he reached Zeebrugge the lorry stops on a number of occasions, stopping at Lissewege. He says Harrison stopped at a fuel station nearby on the 10th, 19th and 22nd.

Emlyn Jones (EJ) explains that GPS tracker data is not always 100% accurate using the GPS tracker data for the stationary trailer that was found in Essex on the 23rd Oct. The jury are being shown an aerial image that shows a number of points, despite the trailer being stationary

Returning to the 10th Oct, EJ says Mr Harrison made a number of stops. He says none of these stops were to pick up any legitimate road because the trailer he delivered to Zeebrugge contained people, not onions, not biscuits...

legitimate load*

EJ adds that there were times where the haulier company Harrison worked for did collect and deliver legitimate loads, but not on this occasion.

On the 10th Harrison arrived at Zeebrugge and delivers the container to the port for loading onto the ship. The trailer needed to be picked up from Purfleet and the lorry driver lined up for this was Christopher Kennedy. Who was in France on the afternoon of the 10th Oct

Kennedy was booked onto a ship sailing from Calais to Dover on the afternoon on the 10th, something his cell site data confirms showing that by 1930 he is using a cell site mast in Dover.

Emlyn Jones is now explains to the jury the various forms of evidence and information that has been gathered using the data generated by the use of mobile phones.

EJ now directs the jury to the text messages exchanged by Kennedy and his boss. He explains that there is no record of WhatsApp messages because they don't register on the phone data - generally.

On the evening of the 10th Christopher Kennedy was sent the booking confirmation of the trailer crossing. EJ says, meanwhile, Nica was making his plans for the next morning, to play his part in the collection. He was in touch with Alexandru Hanga, who has already pleaded guilty

Kennedy asked Hanga if he would be driving his "funeral car" referring to the large black Audi which Hanga drives. At 0530 the next day Nica phones Ronan Hughes (reaching his voicemail) before then calling and messaging Hanga at 0538.

The jury are now being shown a still of Christopher Kennedy at Purfleet port on the morning of the 11th Oct. EJ explains that in order to have the trailer released to him, Kennedy needed a "release code" to give to the staff at the port.

EJ says Kennedy drove the trailer from the port to Collingwood Farm in Orsett, "something of a backwater". EJ adds that Kennedy did not make this trip alone, by the time he passed Orsett Golf Club, the CCTV shows him to be driving in convoy with a number of other vehicles

The jury are now being shown CCTV from Orsett Golf Club. A black Mercedes can be seen to drive by followed then by Kennedy's lorry, followed by Nica and then Hanga's "funeral car" and Nuzi's Mercedes.

At 0822 EJ says two witnesses saw the lorry with its trailer pull up and together with a "fleet of smart looking black cars". As they watched they saw the trailer doors open and about 15-20 people jump out of the back of the lorry and run to the waiting Mercedes cars.

The golf club CCTV then shows the procession repeated in the opposite direction. The same was also caught on an ANPR camera.

The jury are being shown a map that Nica sent to Hanga, with a location in Dulwich in South East London marked. EJ says it looks like Nica was giving Hanga instructions on where to go.

At 0836 all except Nuzi crossed the Dartford bridge into Kent.

EJ now walks the jury through the telephone communication between Hughes, Gormley and Kennedy.

10 minute break

Returning from the break, Emlyn Jones turns the jury's attention to the events of the 14th October 2019. Kennedy crossed the channel from Dover to Calais. That afternoon there was a repeat of the pattern of contact involving Ronan Hughes, Caolan Gormley and Christopher Kennedy

EJ explains he is focusing on the 14th Oct because, he says, "you will remember that I told you that the specific occasions on which these people smugglers brought migrants into the country were 11th and then the 18th Oct before the tragedy on the 23rd..." (1/2)

EJ adds on the 14th Oct 2350 Kennedy was driving into Coquelles and his lorry was searched and there were 20 Vietnamese nationals in the back. They were taken away by the authorities. Kennedy was allowed to carry on, driving into the UK. (2/2)

EJ says at least 2 of the Vietnamese nationals that were turfed out of the lorry on the 14th were among the victims who died on the 22nd. The crown suggests these particular victims had secured the services of organised criminal smugglers, they're paying upwards of £10,000.

On the 14th this didn't work and so they try again. EJ says Plan B consisted of the same people and lorries.

EJ now turns the attention of the jury to the location of Eamonn Harrison on the afternoon of the 14th Oct - he was in Bierne, in Northern France. EJ says this is a "significant" location, it is somewhere Harrison went "quite a lot".

On the 22nd there is eye witness evidence of migrants getting into Harrison's lorry at this location. And here he is again at this spot on the 14th, says EJ. The crown suggests it is no coincidence he is here on numerous occasions.

The jury are being shown stills of Chemin Noord Straete in Bierne. Showing them what you find if you drive along said road. 1456 he first gets there stopping for 2 hours. Moving a little bit and then stopping for 2 and a half minutes before moving on to the main road.

Having been there for that period of time in the afternoon he drove away from this area and headed further into France, slightly south of where he had been and stopped for another 2 hours - La Chapelle d'Armentieres (the same place he went on the 10th).

While he was there Kennedy was further south, near Arras. Kennedy is due to return to the UK that night from Calais. EJ says the A26 would have given him a straight run to Calais but he didn't drive to Calais, not yet. Instead his cell site data suggests he went to meet Harrison

EJ says if you look to the next morning after the 14th, after the migrants had been detected in the lorry, there is a flurry of telephone activity between Hughes, Gormley and Kennedy.

EJ explains Midlane West were the importers for whom Kennedy's legitimate load was being carried. Kennedy received a message asking if everything was okay (on the 14th).

Kennedy explains he stopped at Pidou (a supermarket), EJ says he was implying that he had taken his lorry to a place where opportunistic migrants climbed aboard without him knowing. He didn't know that night, nor the 11th nor the 18th.

EJ says on the 16th Oct Ronan Hughes flew from Dublin to Stanstead arriving at 1315. At 1349 Nica's Mercedes activated an ANPR camera at Stanstead airport. At 1400 Nica used his bank card to pay to park at the airport.

EJ now takes the jury through the cell site data situating Hughes and Nica in the Essex area. That evening they were in the Thurrock area. Hughes spent that night at the Ibis Hotel in Thurrock.

At 1758 there is CCTV of Hughes buying a new mobile phone in the O2 store at the Lakeside shopping centre. He bought a new £10 mobile telephone. He then used it to call Maurice Robinson.

Court breaks for lunch.

Returning from lunch Emlyn Jones turns to the events of the 17th and 18th of October. Eamonn Harrison drove into Zeebrugge port arriving at 1937 on the 17th, leaving without his trailer 9 minutes later. The shipping trailer had been booked by Ronan Hughes.

The ship sailed at 2200, EJ says, as we shall see from the events surrounding its arrival in Essex, there was another load of migrants on board. The migrants were squashed in with a legitimate load of biscuits as well this time.

EJ turns to Harrison's movements before he drove the trailer onto the ship. The evening of the 16th, Ronan Hughes sent instructions to Maurice Robinson for the pickup of two loads of biscuits, first from Delice de Comines and the second from Biscuits Popelier, both in Belgium.

These were meant to be delivered to Lenham in Kent. Due on Friday 18th Oct. Later on the 16th Oct Robinson crossed from England to France pulling Hughes' new trailer. He went straight to the location of the first biscuit pick up and bedded down for the night.

On the morning of the 17th Mr Robinson moves to Biscuit Popelier. Later that morning Robinson received details of another collection from Hughes - for frozen vegetables. This collection had been booked for Harrison, not Robinson. EJ asks where Harrison was at this time.

EJ adds Harrison had been in England but he crossed over to France that morning. Harrison then drove to Belgium and met up with Maurice Robinson.

Harrison and Robinson swapped trailers. Harrison is now pulling Robinson's trailer. Harrison leaves this location with the trailer that later has the migrants in it.

Harrison did not drive straight to Zeebrugge, he went south into France. Eventually he reached Bierne. EJ adds Harrison had been there on the afternoon of the 12, 14th, 15th and instructs the jury we will see him there again on the 22nd.

Harrison continued south, driving to Nieppe, which EJ says, was one of his stop off points on 10th Oct. This time he spends almost half an hour there on the outskirts of an industrial estate. EJ asks, what was he doing?

EJ adds, he was not picking up a legitimate load, the biscuits were already in the lorry by now. Finally at 1800 after the "fiddling around" in Nieppe, he sets off for the coast.

EJ says unlike the trailers involved in the incidents of people smuggling on 11th and 14th Oct, this trailer provides the prosecution with an additional source of evidence, because it was a refrigerated lorry the temperature is recorded.

In the middle of the night on the 17th Oct, the temperature in the trailer is between 10 and 13 degrees C. EJ add biscuits don't need to be refrigerated and they don't give off heat themselves.

But after Harrison's stop in Nieppe, when the tracker was dotting about in Nieppe, that was around 1800. There is a slight drop to 16.2 degrees C but then it goes up to 16.5, 10 minutes later to 17.4 degrees C then to 17.7, 18 degrees.

18.3, 18.6, 18.9 degrees C, 19.2 degrees. The prosecution suggests that the only explanation for this is the presence inside that trailer now of warm blooded breathing human beings. It certainly isn't the biscuits, says EJ.

Harrison has picked up these people causing this temperature rise and he is due to take them to Zeebrugge. The temperature has risen steadily and is still rising when he drops the trailer off at the port.

The trailer wasn't due to set sail until 2200 that evening. By that point, the temperature is still going up and has reached 22.5 degrees and then 22.8 degrees.

EJ switches his attention to Essex. Ronan Hughes has stayed in the Ibis Hotel in Thurrock, very near Purlfeet and is spending a second night there. During the night Nica's Mercedes was entered into the hotel's parking system.

During the night Nica calls Calota. This is the first time, says, EJ that we have seen Calota in the evidence. EJ says this is Calota's moment in the limelight for he drove to meet that lorry in the area of Collingwood farm.

Meanwhile Hughes attempted to contact Kennedy and was sent to voicemail. Soon after there was a text from Hughes to Kennedy. Less than a minute after that Kennedy called Hughes.

EJ says there is something particular about their contact that night. Earlier in the day on the 17th Oct Kennedy bought himself a new phone. His old phone was a contract phone purchased in his name and registered to his home address. The new phone was a pay-as-you-go (1/2)

The network has no idea he's using that phone says EJ. This "cheapo Nokia" bought that afternoon by Kennedy is what we call a "burner" or a "dirty phone". It is not registered to him or anyone, it is disposable.

Turning to Hughes EJ says in his case two of the numbers are burners. It is the prosecution case that Hughes used his dirty phones for dirty business, these are the phones he uses for people smuggling. He uses them at different times. Using and then disposing.

EJ says there is a call in to one of the burner phones at 2230 on the 14th Oct. EJ adds that's not much more than an hour before the migrants were discovered in the trailer. That was the last time Hughes ever used that phone. Something went wrong and he chucked his phone away.

The phone does feature again when Robinson tried to ring it four times but Hughes has chucked it away and so those calls are not answered. All 4 diverted to voicemail.

Hughes and Robinson were in touch at that time but on different phone numbers - on their "clean phones", the phones registered to them at their homes.

EJ continues, having got rid of one of his burner phones Hughes needed a new burner. On the evening of the 16th Oct Hughes bought a new £10 phone at Lakeside. The first number he called with it was Robinson, but not his clean phone, his burner phone. Burner to burner.

EJ adds, more importantly for this trial is when Kennedy in touch with Hughes on the night of 17th Oct, the night before Kennedy was going to go to Purfleet to collect Hughes's trailer-load of illegal migrants, they all use their burner phones. Dirty phones for dirty business.

EJ turns back to the sequence of events. Nica is in touch with Calota once the trailer is coming across from Purfleet. Nica calls Calota, speaking for 26 seconds. EJ says Calota was making "quite a trip" to meet up with Nica and the others.

Calota's cell site data shows he was in Coventry, then Milton Keynes before reaching Essex at 0517. Driving all the way from the West Midlands.

EJ says you'll notice he made the trip in his Ford KA, not entirely suitable for picking up migrants.

Just as on the 11th Oct, it was Kennedy who arrived at Purfleet Port at 0620 to collect the trailer. At almost exactly the same time Hughes set off from his hotel driving a silver VW Passat. He'd been in touch with Kennedy using their burners shortly before he left.

The jury are now being shown a still of the tractor unit Kennedy was driving at the port of Purfleet at 0616 on the 18th. The ship arrived at 0600 that morning.

The temperature inside the trailer was 25.2 degrees when the ship arrived at Purfleet that morning. Kennedy collected the trailer and left the port at 0724. Whilst he was inside the port waiting to pick up the trailer, he spoke with Hughes.

Court breaks for 10 minutes

Returning from the break EJ continues, we move to Orsett Golf Club. The CCTV shows us the vehicles convening by Collingwood farm.

The CCTV shows a white van being driven by Mr Calota. He is no longer in his small car but in a large panel van. EJ says this is slightly different from the 11th because the persons coming to collect are here ahead of time, waiting for the lorry.

Once the lorry appears they move off and travel the short distance to Collingwood Farm. The driver can be seen to be getting out of the van and then back in. The next clip shows Nica driving a Mercedes.

Next Ronan Hughes driving a silver VW Passat passes by the CCTV. And then Kennedy drives past in the lorry. And the vehicles move off in the direction of the lorry.

That morning, one of the witnesses who saw what happened on the 11th saw the lorry again on the 18th but on this occasion she didn't see anyone get out the back. But she noticed that it had stopped in the same position as it had been the previous week.

Very quickly after, the vehicles returned from the way they came. Cell site data for each of them locate them around the same area surrounding the golf club.

On the 18th Nica and Calota drive west towards Grays, crossing over the river, heading at 0815 towards South East London. The same postcode that was used on the 11th, at 0911- 0948 each of Calota, Nica and Draghici are cell siting around the same area

Hughes and Kennedy were not involved in that part of the business. Kennedy and Hughes, on the remainder of the 18th, went to a petrol station together. There was frequent telephone contact between them.

Kennedy left the lorry at the services and together with Hughes drove to Hughes's hotel. Leaving the hotel at 0836. They return to the services, picking up the lorry. By 0851 Kennedy has taken it across the Dartford crossing and is in Kent.

Kennedy then drove the trailer to Lympne Industrial Estate near the Kent Coast. EJ turns the jury's attention to the temperature of the lorry, it has started to fall again. By 1012 that morning, by Lympne, the temperature is 2.4 degrees C.

Hughes joined Kennedy at the Lympne Industrial Estate, arriving at 1048. In addition to the human cargo Kennedy's trailer contained pallets of biscuits - macaroons and Bakewell tarts to be precise.

At 1246 Kennedy set off for Lenham where the deliveries were intended. When Kennedy arrived, his load was inspected and the inspector noticed under the top layer of macaroons the boxes were crushed and had footprints and dirt on them. Indicating there had been human activity.

The seal on the trailer rear doors was intake. And yet someone had been in there without breaking the seal and had "messed around" with the biscuits, says EJ. The jury are now being shown images of the broken boxes and the seal.

The explanation for the seal being unbroken is that the right hand rear door of the trailer had been tampered with to allow for the doors to be opened and closed without having to break the seal, says EJ.

This simple alteration completely undermined the integrity of the trailer's contents, says Emlyn Jones. Exactly what the seal is supposed to prevent.

The jury are now looking at still of the seal, demonstrating how the seal works and how it should be looped around the handle and the door - thereby stopping the handle being pulled away from the door.

The inspector refused to accept the biscuits. She spoke to the supplier and discovered the the lorry had been restacked, re-organised. All done without the seal being broken.

The reason for Hughes and Kennedy not taking it straight there was it was Kennedy with Hughes who tried to disguise the presence in the back of the lorry of the migrants they had that night successfully transferred to the UK.

The inspector asked Kennedy what he knew about this. Kennedy said he had only just picked this trailer up from Maidstone, to cover his and Hughes tracks, says EJ.

As soon as the load had been rejected, Kennedy phones Hughes, who has got back to Thurrock. The phones in use were their burner phones, because "this is still dirty business" says EJ.

Court concludes for the day - returning tomorrow at 1030.