French court announces jail sentences of 18 people for roles in Essex lorry deaths

A French court on November 10 handed down jail sentences of up to 10 years in a people-smuggling trial over the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people who suffocated in a sealed refrigeration container as they were transported from France to Belgium before crossing the Channel to the UK in 2019.

As reported by the British daily The Guardian, of the 19 defendants in the French trial, who include Vietnamese, French, Chinese, Algerian and Moroccan nationals, 18 were found guilty.

French court announces jail sentences of 18 people for roles in Essex lorry deaths -0
Photo: VNA

Four of them, all Vietnamese, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 9 or 10 years in prison. Four other Vietnamese nationals, two of whom were absent and considered fugitives, were sentenced to between 1-10 years for their roles in transporting and housing the migrants.

The others, drivers or owners of apartments working with the gang, were sentenced to suspended jail terms. One defendant who was once a driver was cleared of all charges.  

The bodies of the Vietnamese victims, two of whom were just 15 years old, were discovered inside the sealed unit at the port of Grays, in Essex, in October 2019. Two ringleaders of the operation – one Romanian and one British – were convicted at a trial in 2021 in the UK and sentenced to 27 and 20 years in prison, respectively. Other suspects, notably the drivers, received 12 to 20 years, while a Belgian court handed a 15-year term to a Vietnamese man for heading the local cell of the network./.

VNA

Society-Education

Lunar New Year bonus in HCM City up 3.3%
Society-Education

Lunar New Year bonus in HCM City up 3.3%

The average bonus for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) in Ho Chi Minh City is 12.7 million VND (nearly 500 USD) per person, up 3.3% from the previous year, the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs reported on December 23.

Vietnam, India strengthen friendship
Society-Education

Vietnam, India strengthen friendship

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Phan Anh Son chaired a discussion with an Indian delegation in Hanoi on December 16 to share insight on Vietnam’s current situation and enduring friendship between Vietnam and India, as part of the 12th Vietnam-India People's Friendship Festival.

VUFO President welcomes LDS's Missionary Training Centre volunteers
Society-Education

VUFO President welcomes LDS's Missionary Training Centre volunteers

A delegation of 24 volunteers from the Hanoi branch of the Missionary Training Centre (MTC) under the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and five staff members from the Asia Area Office of LDS Charities (LDSC) in Hong Kong (China) led by President of the Hanoi branch Rob Howell held a working session with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) in Hanoi on December 16.

Credit programme – support for those that went astray in Thai Binh
Society-Education

Credit programme – support for those that went astray in Thai Binh

Returning to their local communities after serving prison sentences, former inmates face serious challenges, including unstable employment, and financial difficulties. A credit programme with preferential interest rates was established under Decision No. 22/2023/QĐ-TTg, dated August 17, 2023 by the Prime Minister to help former inmates secure stable jobs so they can rebuild their lives.