International

Smuggler who killed 39 in lorry to pay £65,000 to families

Published

6 months ago

November 24, 2023

Smuggler who killed 39 in lorry to pay £65,000 to families

A smuggler who killed 39 people in the back of a lorry is to pay more than £65,000 (81,735 million dollars) as compensation, bringing the total to more than £280,000.

Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 46, was jailed for 27 years in 2021 for the manslaughter of the Vietnamese nationals, aged between 15 and 44, found in a vehicle in Essex on October 22 2019.

The victims died in sweltering conditions as they were transported in an airtight container from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet.

Nica, of Basildon in Essex, was ordered to pay 65,157.65 pounds sterling to the victims’ families through a confiscation order made at the Old Bailey, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday.

Nica was one of five gang members jailed for the manslaughters, with others convicted of people-smuggling.

The confiscation order made against him brings the total ordered by the court to be paid to families of the victims by the gang to 283,802.58, pounds Sterling the CPS said.

A hearing in October heard how Nica made at least 90,000 pounds sterling from people-smuggling.

The court heard how the 39 deaths marked the end of a long-running and profitable operation in which migrants would pay up to 13,000 pounds sterling for what they thought was a “VIP service.’’

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Seven smuggling trips were identified between May 2018 and October 23 2019, although investigators believe there were probably more.

Migrants would board Lorries at a remote location on the continent to be transported to Britain, where they would be picked up by fleet of smaller vehicles organised by Nica to a safe house until payment was received.

On Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC ruled that the total amount by which Nica benefited was 186,587.65 pounds sterling.

After assessing the defendant’s assets, the judge ordered him to pay 65,175.65 pounds sterling within three months.

According to the judge, a failure to pay would result to a further year in prison.

The judge said: “I direct that the confiscation sum be paid as compensation to the families of those killed in this terrible tragedy.’’

Previously, Nica’s partner in crime, haulage boss Ronan Hughes, from Armagh, Northern Ireland, was ordered to pay the victims’ families more than 180,000 pounds sterling after being jailed for 20 years.

The lorry driver, Maurice Robinson, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, who found the bodies in the back of his trailer and was jailed for 13 years and four months, had to sell his 4×4 vehicle and watch to pay more than 21,000 pounds sterling.

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Romanian Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, from Essex, was ordered to pay 3,000 pounds sterling after being jailed for three years after admitting conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

Another people-smuggler, Valentin Calota, from Birmingham, was ordered to pay more than 1,000 pounds sterling.

Darren Fox from the CPS said, “Nica profited from smuggling people into the country, which ended in 39 people dying in the most horrific circumstances.

“The CPS worked with the police financial investigators to identify Nica’s criminal benefit from this tragedy and what assets he currently holds.

“The confiscation order set by the judge reflects all the assets available to Nica.

“He also made a compensation order for that amount to be paid to the families of the victims.

“ We will continue to ensure that money will be paid by defendants for the proceeds of these awful crimes.”he added.

Smuggler who killed 39 in lorry to pay £65,000 to families

(dpa/NAN)

International

Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

Published

5 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Trends Admin

Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullahi Shawesh, on Thursday, May 16, lambasted the Western World for clamping down on student protesters who were expressing solidarity and sympathy with his country.

He stressed that the arrest and clampdown on protesters negates the Western world’s stand as promoters of freedom of speech.

He said: “When college students express their solidarity and sympathy with the Palestinians, it is labelled as hate speech and anti-Semitism. These students are beaten and harshly treated. Threatened with expulsion from universities, severe sanctions in the future, imprisonment, and facing trial.

“This is the exact meaning of hypocrisy and double standards.”

Shawesh who gave a review of the 223-day battle between the Israeli forces and Hamas, said no fewer than 45,091 Palestinians have been killed, including 15,103 children and 9,961 women.

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He also said the battle has consumed 142 journalists and 492 medical staff.

The envoy said no fewer than 10,000 persons have been declared missing.

He added: “78,404 wounded and injured, with 72% of the victims being children and women. 17,000 children live without one or both of their parents.”

Beside the human casualties, Shawesh also listed a number of destructions recorded, which include “243 mosques destroyed and 321 partially damaged. 3 Churches targeted and destroyed, 86,000 housing units completely destroyed and 294,000 partially damaged. 103 schools and universities destroyed. 206 archaeological and heritage sites destroyed, 75,000 tons of explosives materials dropped on Gaza.

“33 hospitals along with 54 health centres were taken out of service. A total of 160 health institutions and 126 ambulances were targeted by the Israeli occupation.”

He said the state of infrastructure devastation has forced 11,000 wounded people to travel for treatment to undergo operations.

He also said that no fewer than “10,000 cancer patients face death due to the lack of medical treatment. 1,095,000 are infected with infectious diseases as a result of displacement. 20,000 cases of viral hepatitis infection due to displacement. Tens of thousands of pregnant women are at risk due to a lack of access to healthcare. There have been 310 cases of health personnel being arrested.”

Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

International

UK says it’s developing radio frequency to blast out drones

Published

20 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Trends Admin

UK says it’s developing radio frequency to blast out drones

The United Kingdom is making strides in military technology, developing a cutting-edge weapon using radio waves to counter drones.

Known as the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), this innovative system utilizes radio waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components of enemy vehicles and drones, halting their operations or causing them to fall out of the sky.

Operable across land, air, and sea, the RFDEW boasts a range of up to 1 kilometre, with potential for future extensions. Its development follows UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

With an estimated cost of 0.10 Pounds (0.12 dollars) per radio waveshot, the RFDEW offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional missiles and holds promise for effectively countering drone swarms.

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Utilizing a mobile power source, the technology generates pulses of radio frequency energy in a directed beam, capable of delivering sequenced shots to single or multiple targets. It can be mounted on various military vehicles, enhancing flexibility and adaptability on the battlefield.

Minister of State for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge highlighted the significance of such advancements in enhancing the effectiveness and safety of UK armed forces. He emphasized the importance of defending against unmanned systems, especially in light of recent global conflicts.

The RFDEW system will undergo rigorous testing with British soldiers during summer. Developed under Project Hersa by a collaborative team from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), in partnership with UK industry, this technology represents a significant leap in military capability.

DSTL chief executive Paul Hollinshead underscored the transformative impact of such systems, emphasizing their potential to provide decisive operational advantages and enhance national security. He credited decades of research, expertise, and investment in science and technology for enabling the development of world-class capabilities like the RFDEW.

UK says it’s developing radio frequency to blast out drones

International

Just in: In assassination attempt, Slovakia’s Prime Minister shot multiple times

Published

2 days ago

May 15, 2024

Trends Admin

Just in: In assassination attempt, Slovakia’s Prime Minister shot multiple times

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, has been taken to hospital in a “life-threatening condition” after he was shot multiple times on Wednesday.

According to his official social media account, the 59-year-old leader was hit in the abdomen outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova.

Police have detained a suspect. There was no immediate information on the motive.

Reuters reported Zuzana Caputova, President of Slovakia, as condemning the “brutal and ruthless” attack on Fico.

She said in a televised statement, “A physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy.”

The Russian ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratchikov also condemned the shooting of Fico.

“I strongly condemn this act of violence and express my conviction of the necessity of punishment for the perpetrators,” Bratchikov said in a letter to Fico that the Russian embassy shared on its Facebook page.

Fico, a third-time premier with the left-wing Smer (Direction) party, won Slovakia’s September 30 parliamentary elections, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message.