Channel deaths: Boat pilot was threatened, court told

Ibrahima Bah's statement said people on the boat panicked for no reason and were "causing the issue"

A man accused of killing four migrants has claimed he had to pilot the boat they used to cross the Channel to Kent because he was threatened with death.

Ibrahima Bah, 19, from Senegal, denies four counts of manslaughter at Canterbury Crown Court.

His statement, read to jurors, said when he saw the state of the dinghy he changed his mind about making the journey but it angered the smugglers.

He said: "I was assaulted and threatened with death."

Mr Bah also denies piloting a boat and facilitating unlawful entry to the UK.

The inflatable dinghy carrying more than 40 people across the sea sank on 14 December, 2022.

Mr Bah's written statement said he was trying to come to the UK to claim asylum when the smugglers asked him to pilot the boat and said if he did so, he could travel for free.

He said when they were on the boat the plan was to go to the middle of the Channel and "seek help from the British authorities and claim asylum".

The court heard how others on the boat panicked and grabbed for anchor ropes of a nearby fishing boat, but he "told them to stop".

Four people died during the crossing

Mr Bah said: "They were panicking for no reason and causing the issue. It's very sad people died. If they had stayed calm we would have all been safe and claimed asylum together.... It was a very upsetting experience."

Police interviews read out in court revealed Bah left Senegal in 2019, spent two years in Libya and had driven a boat from Libya to Italy, having learned to pilot boats in Africa.

The court heard that Bah piloting the boat also meant free travel for one of his close friends, who was also from Senegal, who died after falling in the water that night.

When Bah saw the "large boat with small engine" and decided not to pilot it, there was a "fist fight" with the smugglers, and Sudanese migrants witnessed the smugglers kicking him, the court was told.

The trial continues.

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