An alleged ringleader of people-smuggling gang has pleaded guilty to the manslaughters of 39 men, women and children who were found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.
The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were found in the container which had been transported by ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet early on October 23 2019.
Marius Mihai Draghici, 50, was detained by police in Romania last August and charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
On Friday, Draghici pleaded guilty to the charges at a hearing at the Old Bailey before Judge Richard Marks KC.
In 2021, four other defendants were jailed for their roles in the deaths of the victims, two of whom were aged just 15.
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