Courts / Down / Report

Alleged driver of migrant death trailer was travelling on Irish passport, High Court hears

Date
2019-11-21
Stage
Charge Or Pretrial
Primary locality
Mayobridge
County
Down

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 21 November 2019, it was revealed that Eamon Harrison, a 22‑year‑old from Mayobridge, Co Down, was travelling on an Irish passport when he allegedly delivered a refrigerated trailer that contained the bodies of 39 migrants found dead in Britain. British authorities seek his surrender under a European Arrest Warrant, charging him with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act. The warrant refers to Harrison as a "British Citizen", a point contested by his counsel, who argued that his Irish nationality could affect extradition. The court noted ambiguities about where the alleged offences occurred and requested further information from UK authorities. A resumed hearing was scheduled for 12 December, with Harrison remanded in custody.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Alleged driver of migrant death trailer was travelling on Irish passport, High Court hears. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

Why: He said he wished to deal with the matter expeditiously because "Brexit" loomed large over the surrender request, as it did over all other pending extradition requests to the UK. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • High Court
Incident

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial Violent Crime

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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