A lorry driver has admitted the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in a refrigerated lorry in Essex.

Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty when he appeared at the Old Bailey earlier today.

He admitted the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found dead in the truck near the Dartford Crossing in October last year.

Robinson appeared alongside four other people on virtual technology today and he had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration with others and acquiring criminal property at a hearing at the central criminal court in November.

Another man has been charged with 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.

A third man will face 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

And a fourth and fifth have both been charged with conspiring to do an act to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.

In February it was revealed that provisional investigations showed the Vietnamese migrants died as a result of overheating.

The bodies, which included a 15-year-old boy, were found in a trailer in Grays in October and were initially thought to be those of Chinese citizens.

They were flown home to Vietnam the following month as police offered condolences and pressed ahead with their investigations.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Dartford