Vietnam jails four in UK truck tragedy case

The court in the central province gave Nguyen Quoc Thanh, 26, seven years and six months in prison; Tran Dinh Truong, 35, five years; Nguyen Thi Thuy Hoa, 36, six years; and Nguyen Xuan Trieu, 24, two years and six months.

Three other defendants, Le Van Hue, 53, and Vo Van Ky, 52, received one year and six month suspended jail sentence each; and Vo Van Ho, 62, a one year suspended jail sentence.

They were found guilty of "organizing, brokering illegal emigration."

Ky’s request to be absent from the trial because he has cancer was approved by the court.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Diem, Thanh's sister, is a resident in China and is currently wanted by the authorities.

The judges said the defendants had engaged in dangerous violations of immigration and labor export laws, but recognized the fact that they had cooperated with the investigators and been willing to address the consequences.

According to the indictment, Truong worked with Hoa and Thanh to build a file for Pham Thi Tra My, who was 26 then, so she could sneak into the U.K. to work.

Following the ring’s guidance, My was taken to China before being sent to France. By then, My had paid the ring $22,000.

In the next phase, My was brought from France to the U.K. in a refrigerated truck along with 38 other Vietnamese citizens. All of them froze to death in the truck and their bodies were discovered near Essex, a county in southeast England, on October 23 last year.

Seven people involved in trafficking My and tens of others to the U.K were arrested by Ha Tinh police in February.

The deaths of the 39 Vietnamese had made international headlines. Their identities were revealed by authorities last November. Their remains were brought home later that month.

My's last text message to her mother went viral, horrifying people across the globe. Part of it, quoted by many news agencies, read: "I’m sorry Mum. My journey abroad hasn’t succeeded. Mum, I love you so much! I’m dying because I can’t breathe ... I’m from Nghen, Can Loc, Ha Tinh, Vietnam ... I am sorry, Mum."

Between May and October 2019, Diem allegedly instructed Thanh to work with Hoa, Ky, Ho and Hue to build files for many others who desired to go to Europe to work. They proposed two routes: via China or Greece at the cost of $17,000-20,000 per person. When their clients reached their destinations, they would be given fake identification documents and move on to another country.

Between March and May last year, Nguyen Xuan Trieu had used his contacts to assist several residents in Nghi Xuan District to go to Europe and earned $1,000. His action was exposed when some individuals were deported to Vietnam for carrying fake passports.

Hoa had brokered a Europe trip for 16 people and earned $3,000. Truong had helped three others and got paid $1,500.

While Ky and Ho both arranged for three people to get to Europe for VND28 million ($1,200), Hue helped three others for $1,500. Trieu helped bring six others to Europe and made $1,000.

Truong told investigators that he had worked in the U.K. He had only instructed My, his cousin, to go to France, he told authorities, insisting that he had nothing to do with her journey to the U.K. It was "inappropriate" for the authorities to conclude that he caused her death, he said. Truong also said he "does not clearly remember" how many people he’d helped get to Europe.

With Diem still at large, her brother Thanh was identified as one of the kingpins who helped 71 people to enter Europe illegally. Thanh made contact with Hoa, Hue and Ky and worked with them to bring My and many others to Europe.

"I followed Diem’s instructions. After receiving the files of people to be trafficked, I sent them to her and someone would arrange for the clients to go to China, I don’t know about anything else," Thanh told the court.

Hoa said he knew Diem and Thanh because they had done business before, sending his relatives abroad. He had sent them more than 42 files to earn commissions. Hoa was responsible for taking My to France, authorities had said earlier.

Ho and Hue said they’d contacted Thanh to give him files and earn commission. Trieu said he entrusted his clients in the hand of a person he knew through social media and had not reaped any benefit from this venture.

Pham Van Thin, My’s father, who was present at court, said: "My family paid $22,000 to take my child to the U.K. but our dream was destroyed and we have lost everything."

Thin said he hoped the defendants would compensate his family as they have struggled to repay their debts.

Six defendants apologized to the families of My and other victims at court. Thanh, Truong and Hoa said they would compensate her family with VND310 million ($13,400).

Of the 39 victims, 21 were from Nghe An Province and 10 from Ha Tinh. The rest hailed from Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces in the central region; and Hai Duong Province and Hai Phong City, both in the north.

In June, a court in Nghe An Province sentenced local woman Nguyen Thi Tham, 25, to 15 months in jail for helping a friend, Nguyen Van Hiep, enter the U.K. Hiep was among the 39 truck tragedy victims.

In the same case, 40-year-old Irishman Ronan Hughes pleaded guilty on August 28 to manslaughter charges in the U.K., and Northern Irishman truck driver Maurice Robinson pleaded guilty in April.