Mr. Justice Henriques has today (Tuesday), imposed a 14 years prison sentence upon Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren, following the manslaughter of 21 cockle pickers (plus 2 never found), who tragically died at Morcambe Bay on 5 February 2004.
12 years was for the manslaughter charges, 6 years for the facilitation charges to run concurrently, with a further 2 years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice to run consecutively.
The facilitation conviction of the gangmaster's girlfriend, Zhao Xiao Qing also received a custodial sentence of 2 years and 9 months, whilst the cousin, Lin Mu Yong, was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months.
A decision will have to be taken by the Home Office as to whether deportation should take place when all three's sentence has been served.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Henriques said Lin Liang Ren had:
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"cynically and callously" exploited his countrymen and women and provided them with dreadful living conditions.
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The gangmaster had been motivated by avarice and displayed little regard for the safety of the cocklers.
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He had told a series of "spectacular lies" to authorities in a bid to evade justice and displayed complete indifference to the fate of the victims.
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He had attempted to blame everyone but himself for the deaths of the illegal Chinese workers.
In a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) press release on 24 March 2006, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) took the opportunity to "re-empahsise the importance of worker protection imposed by health and safety legislation" and Bill Callaghan, HSE Chair commented by saying:
“The successful prosecution can never compensate for the tragic loss of 23 lives. Nevertheless, today’s verdict (24 March) highlights the need to ensure sensible health and safety arrangements are in place for all workers in Britain, whatever their nationality or migrant status.
“The Health and Safety Executive has already commissioned further work in order to get a clearer picture of where migrants are working and the sorts of jobs they do, as the next stage in finding out whether they are at greater risk of injury or ill-health than other workers. That report will be available later this year.
“At Morecambe Bay, the risks to regular cocklers have been considerably reduced. While it remains a hazardous place, those who follow the guidelines should be able to work without serious risk.”
An account of the tragic incident on 5 February 2004 can be read in the HSE's press release and can be accessed by clicking the following:
Article by Alexandra Johnston
