Mugged at knifepoint... three miles out at sea!
‘I’ve lost catch before to divers’
A FISHERMAN has told of the terrifying moment he was threatened at knifepoint three miles out at sea by thieves who stole fish worth hundreds of pounds.
Stuart Pengelly, 45, was inspecting his nets off Slapton Sands, south Devon, when he was confronted by two men in another boat.
They cut Mr Pengelly’s nets and began hauling his prized fish aboard, taking around £300 worth of Dover sole and plaice bound for local restaurants.
When the inshore fisherman attempted to intervene, one of the thieves threatened him with a knife. Mr Pengelly backed off before the robbers sped off in the direction of Salcombe.
The incident took place at around 5.30am last Sunday. Mr Pengelly was in his 17ft-long boat, the Dawn, which has a top speed of around 20 knots (23mph). Police believe the robbers, who were in a larger, faster rigid inflatable boat, must have used binoculars to watch him putting out his nets the evening before.
The mugging comes as Britain deals with an epidemic of offending. Violent crime surged by 21 per cent last year, with 1.3million offences recorded by police – the highest level since records began 15 years ago. Fishermen claim it is the latest in a series of terrifying confrontations with increasingly brazen pirates who trade the fish on the black market.
Mr Pengelly, from Torcross, Devon, said: ‘They knew what they were doing because they had cut through the net as it drifted past their boat. They were taking what they wanted then leaving the rest.
‘I reckon they had gone through about two-thirds of my net, leaving the damaged gear just floating in the water.
‘As I arrived they asked me something like “are these your nets?” I said they knew perfectly well it was. It was marked with my identification flags.
‘One of the guys then stood up and held out the knife he was using at arm’s length.
‘It was clear he was threatening me so I just backed off a little way in my boat and they started up their engine and headed off.
‘It was pretty scary. I was out there on my own, there were two of them and I just didn’t think it was worth taking any chances. Some people will just wave a knife around, some will use it and I wasn’t keen to find out which they were.
‘Their engine was far bigger than mine so there was no way I could have caught up with them. They could travel much faster. I’ve lost catch before to divers but nothing on this scale.’
Mr Pengelly did not have a phone signal at sea. When he got back to shore, his wife Deborah dialled 999 and the police and Coastguard activated a procedure known as Project Kraken, which is used to warn local people and businesses not to buy black market fish from unlicensed sellers.
Mr Pengelly added: ‘Obviously I know the local restaurateurs and pub owners and they are very loyal. There’s no way they would take dodgy fish from people like this. But someone else could be offered it and we’re hoping they will tell the police. It’s a criminal act to buy from anyone who isn’t a registered fisherman or fish merchant. Pubs and restaurants can lose their licences, so they won’t be prepared to risk it if they’ve got any sense.’
Mr Pengelly, who has been fishing in the area for 30 years, managed to retrieve some of his haul from the remaining third of the net which had not been cut by the thieves.
In recent weeks, there have been a number of incidents which had raised his suspicions, with strangers showing a keen interest in his working habits.
‘You can tell when someone is just a tourist who is chatting or when it is someone with another agenda who is looking a bit too closely at your gear and generators and winches,’ he said.
‘I’m racking my brains to think of any little incident or detail which might help the police to catch these two guys.
‘It costs about £500 to replace a net. I make my own but that takes a couple of days which means you’re out of the water so not earning anything. I can’t afford this.’