The final member of a people smuggling gang linked to the deaths of 39 men, women and children in Essex has been found guilty.

The 39 people, all Vietnamese and aged between 15 and 44, were found dead in the back of a lorry in October 2019.

Haulage boss Caolan Gormley, a 26-year-old from Co Tyrone, had plotted to bring migrants into the UK from mainland Europe three times during that month.

One of the trips was scuppered by French border officials, with some migrants from that trip believed to have died days later in a fatal run overnight between 22 and 23 October 2019.

Gormley had denied being involved, claiming he thought he was helping bring alcohol into the UK illegally.

On Monday, a jury deliberated for just over an hour to find Gormley guilty of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Previously, prosecutor Ben Holt told jurors that the people smugglers had exploited the victims’ desperation to get to the UK, charging more than £10,000 a head.

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The migrants would be loaded into a container lorry on the continent and transported across the English Channel to be picked up for onward transfer in the UK.

Gormley was recruited by ringleader Ronan Hughes and deployed his driver Christopher Kennedy to help move the human cargo.

He was implicated in three trips: overnight on 10 and 11 October, a failed run on 14 and 15 October, as well as 18 and 19 October – just days before the tragedy.

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On the first trip, residents near Orsett in Essex saw migrants jumping out of the back of a lorry before being whisked away by vehicles to their destinations.

Mr Holt told jurors: “The other trip was thwarted by customs officials in France. Remarkably, the driver on that occasion – Kennedy – was effectively given a slap on the wrists and told to go on his way. The migrants were similarly allowed to go.”

His conviction brings the total number of people to be convicted over the plot to 11.

Judge Richard Marks adjourned sentencing until Friday.

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