A DERRY man who was one of four men accused of attempting to smuggle 35 immigrants into the UK in a shipping container, in which one man died, has been found not guilty.
Timothy Murphy, 33, of Elmgrove, Derry was cleared at Basildon Crown Court today.
Taha Sharif, 38, of High Cross Road, Tottenham, was convicted last week. The jury has yet to decide on two other men.
The four all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK.
The two still to be decided upon are Stephen McLaughlin, 34, of Limavady in Co Derry and Martin McGlinchey, 47, of Derryloughan Road in Coalisland.
During the trial jurors were told the migrants were found distressed and in cramped conditions.
Meet Singh Kapoor, 40, was found dead at Tilbury docks in Essex last August.
The group of Afghan Sikh migrants, which included 15 children, arrived in the UK on a ship from Belgium on 16 August, 2014. They are believed to have fled Afghanistan after suffering persecution.
All of the immigrants are now claiming asylum in the UK, the court heard.