UK truck driver pleads guilty in deaths of 39 Vietnamese

LONDON (AP) " A truck driver accused in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found inside a refrigerated container in England pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday.

Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, entered the plea at Central London Criminal Court. Robinson appeared in court via video link alongside four co-defendants.

The bodies of the 39 people were found Oct. 23 in the town of Grays, east of London. Police investigating the case found the victims were all from Vietnam and ranged in age from 15 to 44.

The 31 men and eight women are believed to have paid people traffickers to smuggle them into England. Police say they died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space.

Another defendant, Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.