By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-01 13:16:15 | Updated at 2026-10-01 14:27:38
1 hour ago
A man arrested in connection with the deaths of at least 27 people who drowned attempting to cross the English Channel has been convicted in France.
Harem Ahmed Abwbaker is one of six people convicted of manslaughter in connection with the crossing in November 2021.
The 27 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds, were all in a dinghy which sank while making the crossing.
Only two people survived, while four still remain missing.
National Crime Agency (NCA) officials said it remains the biggest single loss of life in the Channel linked to small boats.
Abwbaker was tracked down by NCA investigators to a hotel in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where he was arrested on in November 2022, having come in to the country in the back of a lorry.
Following the arrest he was extradited to France to face manslaughter, human trafficking and organised crime charges in July 2023.
Yesterday, September 30, Abwbaker was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the other five members of the smuggling network given sentences of between six and ten years.
Abwbaker was sentenced to eight years in prison
NCA
More to follow...
