Maurice Robinson, the lorry driver accused over the deaths of 39 migrants, has pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration.
The 39 manslaughter charges he also faced were reportedly not put to him today.
The victims, eight females and 31 males from Vietnam, were discovered early on Wednesday 23 October in a refrigerated container on an industrial estate in Grays, Essex.
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Among the 10 teenage victims, two were 15-year-old boys.
Robinson, known locally as 'Mo', appeared at the Old Bailey this morning via video link from custody, facing 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between 1 December 2018 and 24 October 2019, along with one count of acquiring criminal property and one count of concealing criminal property between 1 December 2018 and 24 October 2019.
Another man, Christopher Kennedy, has also appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court this morning, charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of people with a view to exploitation and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law.
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An updated statement from Essex Police on 24 November said: "Christopher Kennedy, 23, was arrested on Friday 22 November in connection with our enquiry in to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals in a lorry trailer found in Grays on 23 October.
"The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges of conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of people with a view to exploitation and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law.
"Kennedy, of Corkley Road in Darkley, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday 25 November."
After Essex Police confirmed the names of all 39 victims, The senior officer in overall charge of the enquiry Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said: "This was an incredibly important process and our team has been working hard to bring answers to worried families who fear their loved one may be among those whose tragic journey ended on our shores.
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"Our priority has been to identify the victims, to preserve the dignity of those who have died and to support the victims' friends and families.
"It remained of paramount importance to us to ensure that an individual's next of kin were informed, and that they were given some time to absorb this tragic news before we publicly confirmed their loved one's identity.
"We have worked closely with the National Crime Agency, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Vietnamese Authorities to identify and locate their families.
Her Majesty's Senior Coroner, Mrs Caroline Beasley-Murray, said: "May I take this opportunity to offer my deepest condolences to the victims' families. My thoughts are with them at this unimaginably difficult time."
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