Man accused of manslaughter of 27 small boat migrants in worst Channel disaster extradited to France

Alleged people smuggler faces trial in French courts as small boat crossings reach almost 12,800 so far in 2023

Harem Ahmed Abwbaker was arrested in Gloucestershire on 29 November 2022 (NCA)

A man accused of the manslaughter of at least 27 people who drowned attempting to cross the English Channel has been extradited to France to face trial.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Harem Ahmed Abwbaker was alleged to be a “significant member” of the smuggling gang behind the fatal crossing in November 2021.

The 32-year-old will be sent to France from British custody on Friday to face charges of manslaughter, human trafficking and organised crime.

Investigators believe more than 30 people were on board the small dinghy when it left Dunkirk, with several passengers making calls to emergency services when it started sinking.

Only two survivors were rescued, with 27 bodies recovered from the sea and the remaining migrants unaccounted for.

An investigation for The Independent heard from the loved ones of those who went missing on small boats in the Channel, including the November 2021 sinking, and who are still seeking justice.

The sinking was the worst disaster of its kind in the English Channel and sparked separate inquiries in Britain and France over the actions of search and rescue services.

Call logs published by French media showed that dinghy passengers made multiple calls for help for over two hours, but when a survivor begging for help told French authorities people were in the sea, they replied: “Yes, but you are in English waters.”

NCA investigators tracked Mr Abwbaker to a hotel housing asylum seekers in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where he was arrested on 29 November last year.

A previous hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that he was the “right-hand man” of the smuggling gang that facilitated the crossing, and offered the families of the drowned victims money to stay silent.

Victims each paid around £2,700 for the journey, the court heard, and Mr Abwbaker was alleged to be the person responsible for getting them onto the dinghy.

His phone was detected at the site where it launched on 23 November 2021, and tracked to Germany three days later, the court heard. Mr Abwbaker later made his own journey to the UK.

NCA deputy director Craig Turner said: “The NCA are working closely with our French partners to investigate this Channel dinghy tragedy. We remain determined to get justice for the families of those whose lives were lost.

“Tackling people smuggling remains a priority for us, and we continue to disrupt and dismantle the cruel organised criminal networks involved.”

On Monday, the NCA put out a separate appeal for information over an alleged people smuggling attempt using a 30ft yacht in Devon.

Investigators believe a smuggling gang brought a group of migrants across the Channel from France on the 30ft Timberwolf on 4 July.

The yacht was seen moored off Mothecombe beach, where migrants were transported to shore in a dinghy and picked up in a black Mercedes.

NCA officers are asking for anyone who was at the beach between 9am and 1pm last Tuesday and witnessed the incident, or took photos and video footage, to come forward.

Six men aged between 28 and 41 were arrested by Devon and Cornwall Police on suspicion of facilitating illegal migration after the vehicle seen leaving the beach area was stopped.

The yacht was then stopped by Border Force officers as it sailed onwards to Plymouth.

A 24-year-old man from Putney and the boat’s captain, a 58-year-old man from Devon, were also arrested on suspicion of facilitation of illegal migration.

Almost 12,800 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, nearing the record numbers seen in 2022.

More than 1,300 people have arrived in the past three days alone, with Friday seeing the highest total for a single day so far this year.

The figures have increased pressure on Rishi Sunak following his vow to “stop the boats”, with a wave of punitive laws and policies the government claimed would deter crossings so far having little effect.

The Court of Appeal has ruled plans to forcibly deport small boat asylum seekers to Rwanda unlawful and the final stage of the legal battle will not be heard by the Supreme Court until October at the earliest.

It means that the government cannot implement new laws going through parliament, which aim to see all small boat migrants detained and deported without having their claims considered in the UK.