Manslaughter

Sentencing for Afele Tiatia was handed down by Supreme Court judge, Leiataualesa Darryl Clarke.

The victim, a 14-year-old nephew of the defendant, swore at his grandmother, the defendant's mother, provoking the Tiatia to slap him and hit him with firewood.

The teenager died a few days later.

Justice Leiataualesa spoke about the trauma the family suffered with the body of the boy not being released for nine months until a pathologist could get into Samoa to undertake a postmortem, which happened earlier this month.

The migrants suffocated in the sealed container en route from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in October 2019.

Eamonn Harrison, 24, who dropped off the trailer at the Belgian port, and people-smuggler Gheorghe Nica, 43, were convicted by an Old Bailey jury.

Two others were convicted of being part of a wider people-smuggling conspiracy.

The trial examined three smuggling attempts by the gang - two that were successful on 11 and 18 October, and the final trip on 23 October.

Maurice Robinson, 25, was arrested after the bodies of 31 men and eight women were found in Grays on Wednesday.

He is further charged with people trafficking, immigration and money laundering offences, Essex Police said.

Mr Robinson, of Laurel Drive, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, is due before Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Three others, a man and a woman, both 38, from Warrington, Cheshire, and a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland remain in police custody.

All three were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people.

They had previously denied charges of negligence, manslaughter, and obstruction of justice.

The pair appeared today in the Supreme Court for the start of an expected two week trial, but their lawyer entered guilty pleas.

One defendant, Luse Emo Tauvale, has admitted to three charges of obstruction of justice and two of negligence and manslaughter, while Leutogi Te'o has pleaded guilty to one charge of manslaughter.

Other prosecution charges against the nurses have been withdrawn.

They instead found him guilty of manslaughter after a week-long hearing presided over by Justice Vui Clarence Nelson.

The Samoa Observer reported that Afereti Talato Mapusua of Falelauniu, attacked son, slashing him on the neck.

Afereti, who had a history of domestic violence has been remanded until 4 December for sentencing.