LONDON: A northern Irish man has been charged with human trafficking offences in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals whose bodies were found inside a refrigerated truck in southern England last month, the Essex police said on Sunday.
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According to a statement by the Essex police, Christopher Kennedy, a 23-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of people with a view to exploitation, and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, Sputnik reported.
Kennedy was arrested on Friday and is due to appear in a UK court on Monday, police added.
Bodies of 31 men and eight women were found from inside a truck at an industrial park in Grays, a town located 40 kilometres east of London, UK. Several other suspects, including the driver of the truck, were arrested during the investigation. The victims were initially believed to be Chinese nationals but were later identified as Vietnamese.