A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.

The Vietnamese nationals – including men, women and children – were found in the container which had been transported by ferry from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019.

The victims died when they ran out of air in temperatures of up to 38.5C (101F),

Marius Mihai Draghici, an alleged ringleader of a people-smuggling gang, was detained by police in Romania last August and charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty on Friday to the charges at a hearing at the Old Bailey.

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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