A man who was the ringleader on a conspiracy which tragically unfolded in Essex has been ordered to pay £182,000 in compensation to the victims’ families. Ronan Hughes played a leading role in a devastating incident where 39 Vietnamese women, men and children died in 2019.
A hearing at the Central Criminal Court on December 20 decided on what the ringleader could use to pay the victims’ families. At a previous hearing he gave evidence that the property he had built on land belonging to his parents in Ireland was not an available asset.
But a judge at the court found that the property in question was indeed an available asset and made a confiscation order totalling £182,078.90 all to be paid in compensation. It means that the 39 families will receive a share of a total £283,802.
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Hughes led the conspiracy which tragically unfolded in Essex in October 2019. On the day the victims were found, he left Thurrock and travelled to Ireland.
He was named as a wanted person on October 29, 2019, but remained in his home in County Monaghan, in the Republic of Ireland, where Essex Police officers were unable to arrest him without a European Arrest Warrant. That warrant was granted on April 20, 2020, and he was brought to Essex to face the charges.
He pleaded guilty to all offences and was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison at the Old Bailey in February 2021. The group has been sentenced to a total 117 years behind bars.
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who had led the second part of our investigation into the deaths, said the final act of the investigation has been to pursue Hughes “for his ill-gotten gains”.
They added: “We know he – and his associates – treated this operation as a lucrative business and it would not have been acceptable to anyone at Essex Police to conclude our work at this group’s conviction. This money – all £283,802.58 of it – will be divided between the Vietnamese families who continue to feel the devastating loss of their loved ones. It will do little to help heal their loss, I know this, but I do truly hope it will allow them to begin to move forward.”
Darren Fox, specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Hughes was the leader of a gang who profited from smuggling people into the country which ended in 39 people dying in the most horrific circumstances. The CPS worked with the Essex police to identify all the criminal benefits of the gang behind this tragedy and what assets they currently hold.
“As a result, over £280,000 has been ordered to be paid to the families of the Vietnamese victims who continue to suffer the terrible impact of this awful tragedy. In the last five years, over £450 million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £88m of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.”