A Senegalese man was found guilty of manslaughter by a British court on Monday after the deaths of four other migrants while crossing the English Channel in December 2022.
Ibrahima Bah, who according to the British judiciary is over 18 years old but whose exact age is uncertain, was found guilty at the court in Canterbury (south of England) of manslaughter and aiding illegal entry into the United Kingdom.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Four migrants, including a teenager, died when their boat sank as they attempted to make the dangerous crossing through one of the world's busiest straits. 39 others were rescued.
During the trial, one of the migrants on board the boat described screaming and trying to call for help before a fishing boat came to their aid.
The defendant claimed that the smugglers forced him to take control of the dinghy without convincing the prosecution. According to his report, he initially agreed to cross for free, but changed his mind when faced with too many migrants to board.
According to the prosecution, the defendant claimed that he had piloted boats in the past and was able to cross without paying, while the other passengers paid thousands of euros to the smugglers.
“The boat he was piloting was never designed to traverse the world's busiest shipping lane and was virtually invisible to other boats,” said Libby Clark, prosecuting.
“Any reasonable person would have recognized that operating such an ill-equipped and overloaded boat in such dangerous circumstances posed a clear risk to passengers,” she continued.
Nearly 30,000 migrants made the crossing last year, following a record 45,000 in 2022.