A Co Armagh lorry driver, jailed for his role in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in an airtight container in Essex in 2019, will serve out the remainder of his sentence in Northern Ireland.
Maurice ‘Mo’ Robinson, from Laurelvale, was driving the Scania lorry and container in which the bodies of 31 men and eight women – two of whom were just 15 – were discovered.
He was jailed for 13 years and four months in January 2020 on 39 counts of manslaughter and assisting unlawful immigration.
Robinson has been serving his sentence in Belmarsh Category A prison in London, however, the PA news agency have reported that the 29-year-old was moved to Maghaberry Prison – just 20 miles from his family home – in March.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Prison Service said: “Prisoners serving sentences in the UK may apply to be transferred from one jurisdiction to another under intra-UK prisoner transfer arrangements providing they meet certain qualifying criteria.
“These include having close family (ie: a partner, children, parents, grandparents or a wider supportive family circle) resident in the receiving jurisdiction.
“These arrangements help provide prisoners with easier access to a supportive family environment, which is considered a crucial element of a prisoner’s rehabilitation journey.
“Transfers are usually on a restricted basis meaning that for the purposes of detention, release and licence recall they remain subject to the laws governing the original sentencing jurisdiction.
“For these prisoners release dates remain unaltered.”
by columboscoat
9 comments
Is 13yrs a fair sentance when 39 ppl died?
Will they transfer him back to Northern Ireland in the back of an air-tight lorry?
It couldn’t be are wee Mo
Every time I see his face all I can think of is the thousands upon thousands of utter ballbags who leapt to his defence on socials.
Transferring a man to another prison to be closer to his family, when he ensured that 39 people would never be close to their families again.
Free MO
I really can’t attend people like this man.
My father was a lorry driver for 30 odd years had his own lorry- the amount of times he was out to 11pm at night trying to fix airbags or brakes or something on it so he could get out to work the next day and put food on the table.
I can remember him in like 2004 watching the financial news in pure disbelief during the Iraq war watching oil prices rise exponentially with diesel prices going through the roof – the more I think about it now he must have been under savage pressure trying to keep the whole family afloat
Then a lad like this comes along and just makes a complete mockery of hard working men like my father
Hope they transport him over in the back of a sealed container
He was probably getting half a years salary to do one run