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Moment Channel trawler is driven erratically in circles after Sudanese national steals it to ‘go and collect his family from France’ – as he is jailed
Bilal Adam, 30, was jailed after taking the fishing trawler Carousel from Ramsgate harbour, apparently intending to sail to France to collect his family. The boat turned erratically within the harbour, and a crew member woken by its engine helped avert a more serious incident.
The court heard Adam threatened the crew member and appeared to reach for a knife, though Adam denied making threats and said his clothing explained the gesture. He admitted taking a mechanically propelled vehicle without consent, with damage estimated at nearly £90,000, including to the gearbox. Magistrates sentenced him to eight months in custody and disqualified him from driving for a year, citing the risk he would try to leave the country by illegal means.
In short
- A trawler was taken from Ramsgate harbour in an attempted journey to France.
- The vessel suffered damage estimated at nearly £90,000.
- Bilal Adam received eight months in custody and a driving ban.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The sentence can be defended as a proportionate response to taking a vessel without consent, causing substantial damage and creating a risk to the crew and others in the harbour. The court was also entitled to weigh the evidence it accepted about threats and the possibility of further unlawful travel, while imposing a custodial term to deter similar conduct.
The case against
A more lenient sentence could be argued for if the court gave greater weight to Adam’s stated aim of reaching his family, the absence of any reported serious injury, and the possibility that the incident reflected desperation or impaired judgement. The threat allegation was disputed, and a shorter sentence combined with support addressing his circumstances might have held him accountable while recognising those mitigating factors.