Latest news with #RickJones
ITV News
30-06-2025
- ITV News
Members of people smuggling network sentenced over small boat crossing which left four dead
Nine members of a people smuggling network have been sentenced over a small boat crossing which left four people dead and another four missing. Seven Afghan nationals and two Iraqis were convicted of offences including involuntary manslaughter, endangering lives and facilitating illegal entry following a trial in Lille, northern France. One of the men was tried in his absence after fleeing France before trial. The judge handed the Afghan ringleader of the gang an eight-year jail term. The others were sentenced to seven years each. It followed a criminal investigation, supported by the National Crime Agency (NCA), into an incident on 14 December 2022, when a boat carrying 47 people got into trouble in the English Channel. Four people were confirmed to have died and another four were never found. The survivors were rescued by a British fishing vessel and brought to shore in Dover. The NCA and Kent Police worked with the French authorities to identify those responsible for putting the boat in the water. They provided crucial intelligence and evidence to French investigators including interviews with the survivors. Senegalese national Ibrahima Bah, 20, was later convicted in the UK of piloting the boat. His trial, at Canterbury Crown Court, heard how the 'death trap' dinghy was heavily overloaded, and only had space for around 20 people. Many of those on board did not have life-jackets. He was jailed for nine years in February 2024. NCA Deputy Director Rick Jones said: "This was a tragic event which sadly demonstrated the extreme danger involved in putting overloaded boats into the sea. "While our thoughts remain with the loved ones of those who died, I'm glad that those who organised this crossing have now been brought to justice. "The gangs involved in this type of criminality have no concern for the welfare or safety of those they transport, they're just in it for the money.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Kirton-in-Lindsey gliding club 'devastated' on loss of airfield
A gliding club has said they were "devastated" after they were told to leave the airfield they have flown from for 50 Valley Gliding Club, in Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire have 80 members and have used the site next to RAF Kirton since Dixon, 61, an instructor at the club said it was "unsettling to be uncertain about their future".A solicitor acting for the landowner said: "communications have taken place between the tenant and the landlords respective solicitors." In a letter sent to the club, shared with the BBC, the group were told their tenancy would end on 10 October. Chairman of the club Richard Malam, 69, said he was determined to challenge the notice. "This came completely out of the blue," he said."I wouldn't be doing my job without thinking can we challenge that, is that the end game?"Mr Malam said he believed if the club did have to move, they would lose members"Anywhere we go is going to be different from here and that'll put people off."According to Mr Malam before the club's arrival in 1974 the RAF had a gliding school at the site, he said if they were asked to leave it would end 85 years of aviation solicitor for the landlord said: "The tenant's directors will be well aware of the nature and length of the club's lease." "It's almost like the shock of capture," said Rick Jones, 58, an instructor from the club."It was quite a hard thing to take initially."Mr Jones said if the club did have to relocate it would not be easy."Unfortunately, airfields just don't grow on trees."Peter Dixon, also an instructor at the club, said they were going through a "difficult period" but they were "a little bit taken aback" by good wishes and comments from the community."Gliding can be a selfish hobby, but it takes a team to make it happen."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
