Paris court convicts six over fatal Channel crossing
The defendants received prison terms of six to 10 years over the 2021 sinking that killed 31 people. The court found they belonged to two smuggling networks.
A Paris court has convicted six people of involuntary homicide over the sinking of a migrant boat in the English Channel on 24 November 2021. The disaster killed 31 people; two men survived.
At the end of a four-week trial, the six were sentenced to between six and 10 years in prison. Seven other defendants received sentences of up to four years, while one person was acquitted.
The court found the convicted defendants belonged to two smuggling networks, one Iraqi Kurd and one Afghan, that co-operated to organise the crossing. Obaidullah Maroofkhel, who ran the Afghan network, received the longest sentence, 10 years. He was tried in his absence.
The charge sheet described the boat as poor quality, uncertified, overloaded and unsuitable for sea travel, with inadequate life jackets. It went down after sending distress calls to French and British coastguards.
A separate police investigation is examining whether seven French military personnel failed to respond to the distress calls. They have not been reported charged; a decision on whether to recommend a trial is expected in the coming months.
