Pilot of migrant boat sentenced for Channel deaths

A migrant who piloted a boat where four passengers drowned in the English Channel has been sentenced to nine years and six months.

Ibrahima Bah was convicted of manslaughter on Monday over the deaths of the migrants who were on a dingy he steered during an attempted crossing.

The judge sentenced Bah on the basis he is "about 20 years old". He will be detained in a Young Offenders Institution, until it is determined he has reached the age of 21, which is when he will be moved to adult custody.

He will serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody.

Sentencing him at Canterbury Crown Court, the judge, Mr Justice Johnson, said the "primary responsibility" for the offences lay with people smugglers who had procured a "wholly unsafe and unsatisfactory" vessel.

He told Bah: "What happened is an utter tragedy for those who died and their families. This is also a tragedy for you - your dream of starting a new life in the UK is in tatters."

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