A SECOND day of the trial of men charged with offences relating to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals, whose bodies were discovered in Thurrock, brought the revelation that some of those who died had already been on one failed mission to get into the UK.

Four men are on trial at the Old Bailey in connection with the deaths. Lorry driver Eamonn Harrison and Gheorghe Nica are accused of manslaughter. The pair are also accused of being part of a people-smuggling conspiracy with another lorry driver, Christopher Kennedy, and Valentin Calota.

The bodies were discovered in the lorry at Waterglade Industrial Park, West Thurrock in the early hours of 23 October 2019 after a lorry towed the container from the C.RO, roll-on-roll-off port at nearby Purfleet.

Today (Thursday, 8 October) prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the court about two earlier people-smuggling trips in October last year.

On 11 October, he said, witnesses reported seeing 15 to 20 people emerge from a lorry trailer close to the Essex port, and run towards a fleet of dark cars which then drove off at speed.

That trailer, he said, was dropped off by Harrison at Zeebrugge - and collected by Kennedy at Purfleet, before it was met by Nica and others at a nearby pick-up point.

On 14 October, Kennedy was stopped at Coquelles in France en route to Folkestone via the Eurotunnel, the court heard. His lorry was searched and 20 Vietnamese people were discovered in the back and taken away by authorities.

Mr Emlyn Jones said: "At least two of the Vietnamese nationals turfed out of the lorry that night ended up in Harrison's lorry on 22 October, and were among the victims who died."

The prosecutor added: "These particular victims had secured the services of the organised criminal network to get them to the UK, providing £10,000 a head for that service. Obviously, they need a plan B, they try again.

"So the organisers have to arrange a replacement journey - which again involves the same teams of drivers, lorries, and so on."

Nica, 43, of Basildon, and Harrison, 23, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland, deny 39 counts of manslaughter. Nica has admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019.

Harrison, Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, and Kennedy, 24, of Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, deny the conspiracy charge.

The trial continues.