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An asylum seeker will be detained for nine years and six months for the manslaughter of four fellow migrants who drowned attempting to cross the Channel to the UK.

Ibrahima Bah, who is over 18, piloted the “unseaworthy” boat which got into trouble after setting off from France on 14 December 2022.

During a trial, jurors were told the home-built, low-quality inflatable should have had no more than 20 people on board but carried at least 43 people that night.

Bah told Canterbury Crown Court that smugglers threatened to kill him if he did not drive the vessel.

But prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said the Senegalese national was not telling the truth.

He said that while the majority of travellers paid thousands of euros to smugglers for a spot in the overcrowded vessel, it appeared Bah did not pay for his journey because he piloted the dingy, therefore owing his fellow passengers a “duty of care”.

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From December 2022: There were ‘bodies everywhere around the boat’

Bah was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter by jurors by a majority verdict of 10 to two in what is believed to be the first conviction of its kind on Monday.

He was also found unanimously guilty of facilitating illegal entry to the UK.

Campaigners are expected to protest the conviction at the Home Office on Friday evening, arguing it represents a “violent escalation in the persecution of migrants” to carry out the government’s pledge to “stop the boats”.

The prosecution said Bah was not trained or licensed to lead the voyage and there was insufficient safety equipment such as life jackets and no flares or radio on board.

When the boat got into trouble, a number of migrants inside the boat described water reaching their knees within 30 minutes of leaving the French coast, the court heard.

A total of 39 survivors were brought to shore, while the exact number of migrants who drowned is unknown as the prosecution said at least one migrant’s body may not have been recovered.

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The boat in which four passengers drowned in the English Channel.
Pic: PA
Image:
The boat in which four passengers drowned in the English Channel. Pic: PA

Three of the people who died were known only as unknown male persons while the other man was named as Hajratullah Ahmadi.

One asylum seeker, Amrullah Ahmadzai, described to jurors how everyone on the boat was screaming and trying to call for help on their mobile phones during the journey.

The crew of a UK fishing boat tried to rescue the passengers, with help from the RNLI, air ambulance and UK Border Force.

The boat in which four passengers drowned in the English Channel.
Pic: PA
Image:
The boat in which four passengers drowned in the English Channel. Pic: PA

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.”

Following the verdict on Monday, Captain Support UK, a solidarity platform for those accused of driving boats to Europe, said Bah’s conviction was a “violent escalation in the persecution of migrants to ‘Stop the Boats'”.

However, illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson said on X: “Ibrahima Bah put dozens of lives in extreme danger by taking charge of a perilous and illegal small boat crossing. It is right that he has been brought to justice today.

“Once you get into a small boat, criminal gangs don’t care whether you live or die.”

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Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

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Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward - after Andrew misses Congress deadline

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

More on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
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Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

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Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

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The new Epstein files: The key takeaways

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
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Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

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Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
Image:
The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

Read more:
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Dozens injured in passenger train collision

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”

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