A man who steered a small boat across the Channel on a crossing during which at least four fellow passengers drowned has been sentenced to be detained for nine years and six months.
Ibrahima Bah, who is at least 20 years old, had been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter and facilitating illegal entry to the UK on Monday, after a trial at Canterbury crown court.
Bah, who was one of the passengers being smuggled into the UK, was picked to steer the boat and given free passage by the people smugglers in return.
The jury heard his claim that he agreed to go through with it only because he feared he would be killed if he did not. The judge told Bah during a sentencing hearing on Friday that, while he accepted he was coerced, he considered the physical pressure he was placed under fell short of duress.
Sentencing Bah on Friday, Mr Justice Johnson KC said: “The boat was wholly inadequate, and not remotely seaworthy for a Channel crossing.
“It was a death trap, just as every boat of its type which sets off across the Channel in similar circumstances is a death trap. The fact that, in many cases, fatalities do not occur is not remotely reassuring.
“What happened is an utter tragedy for those who died and for their families … This is also a tragedy for you. Your dream of starting a new life in the UK is in tatters.”
Bah was found guilty of causing the deaths of four people on 14 December 2022, in what is believed to be the first conviction of its kind. He was also convicted of one count of facilitating illegal entry to the UK.
It is not known how many people died – the court heard at least one person’s body was not recovered. Thirty-nine survivors were brought to shore in the port of Dover.
One of the men who died was identified as Hajratullah Ahmadi, from Afghanistan. While the other three have not been formally identified, the judge said one was believed to be an Afghan. He added that many of the other passengers were also thought to have fled that country when the Taliban took over. He said it was believed the other two known fatalities were African men, but he offered no further detail.
For each of the four counts of manslaughter, Bah was sentenced to nine years and six months’ detention. For the immigration offence, he was sentenced to four years’ detention in a young offender’s institution. The judge said all five sentences would run concurrently, and that Bah would serve at least two-thirds – or about six years and three months – before becoming eligible to be released on licence.
The judge concluded Bah was at least 20 years old but his exact age is unknown.
