People smuggler gets nearly a year extra time in jail for failing to payback over £65,000 of criminal profits in the Essex lorry deaths case
Today (11 July 2024) at Margate Magistrates’ Court, Gheorghe Nica, 46, was ordered to serve a further eleven and half months imprisonment after failing to payback £65,157.65 which he was ordered to pay in a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing. All of the Confiscation Order monies recovered from Nica, which a Judge has determined is his available assets, will be paid by way of compensation to the families of the 39 victims.
Nica was convicted of the Manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese nationals aged between 15 and 44, and Conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration as part of an illegal people-smuggling operation, which resulted in those deaths on 22 October 2019. Nica was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment at the Old Bailey on 22 January 2021.
After the investigation, in which eight people have been found guilty, it was found that significant sums of money were made from this exploitation and the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division has worked with investigators to pursue these ill-gotten gains to ensure that no one profits from this horrific tragedy.
Heather Chalk from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Gheorge Nica failed to pay the £65,157.65 that he owed, so the CPS have returned him to court and now he has had an additional default sentence of eleven and half months imprisonment on top of his original sentence. He profited from smuggling people into the country, which ended in 39 people dying in the most horrific circumstances. Even after serving this sentence, he will still owe that amount plus interest.
“The CPS worked with the police financial investigators to identify Nica’s criminal benefit from this tragedy and what available assets he currently holds to pay the order.
“The Judge 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 pursued so that nobody profits from these awful crimes.”
In the last five years, 2019 to 2024, £450 million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £88 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.
Notes to editors
- Heather Chalk is a specialist prosecutor for CPS Proceeds of Crime Division, which is part of the CPS Serious Economic Organised and International Directorate (SEOCID)
- Gheorghe Nica (DOB: 14/01/1977) convicted of 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Nica was originally sentenced to 27 years imprisonment and now faces a further eleven and half months in jail.
- Ronan Hughes (DOB: 01/09/1979) pleaded guilty to thirty-nine offences of manslaughter and one offence of assisting unlawful immigration for his part in facilitating the illegal immigration and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
- Maurice Robinson (DOB: 09/09/1994) pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter assisting unlawful immigration as well as acquiring criminal property offences and imprisoned for 13 years and 4 months. The Judge determined his total criminal benefit to be £50,000 and his available amount to pay a Confiscation Order as being £21,262 of which all will be paid as compensation payments to the families of the Vietnamese victims.
- Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga (DOB: 22/05/1992) was sentenced to three years imprisonment. The Judge determined his total criminal benefit to be £83,552 and his available amount to pay a Confiscation Order as being £3,000 of which all will be paid as compensation payments to the families of the Vietnamese victims.
- Valentin Calota (DOB: 22/11/1982) was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment. The Judge determined his total criminal benefit to be £1,128.72 and his available amount to pay a Confiscation Order as being £1,128.72 of which all will be paid as compensation payments to the families of the Vietnamese victims.
- Christopher Kennedy (DOB: 11/09/1996) was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The Judge determined his total criminal benefit to be £67,058 and his available amount to pay a Confiscation Order as being £6,094.18 of which all will be paid as compensation payments to the families of the Vietnamese victims.
- Eammon Harrison (DOB: 12/12/1996) was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. The Judge determined his total criminal benefit to be £11,900 and his available amount to pay a Confiscation Order as being £5,055.99 of which all will be paid as compensation payments to the families of the Vietnamese victims.
- Where a defendant refuses to pay their Confiscation Order in a timely way, CPS Proceeds of Crime Division can invite the court to impose an additional default sentence on them of up to 14 years' imprisonment. The full debt continues to be in force until it is paid, and interest is charged against it at the civil judgement debt rate, currently 8%.
- Where they are found to have additional available assets in the future, the CPS may ask the court to revisit the order and make an additional Confiscation Order up to the value of their full criminal benefit.