Tanker hijack gang let off
Seven stowaways won’t be charged
SEVEN ‘hijackers’ held in a daring special forces raid are being let off without charge in a decision condemned as ‘absurd’.
The Nigerian stowaways were detained when Special Boat Service commandos stormed the tanker Nave Andromeda off the Isle of Wight in October.
Two were charged with ‘ conduct endangering ships’ but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said yester- day there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to continue the case or charge the others.
Several have already lodged asylum claims, it is understood. It means Home Secretary Priti Patel is likely to face a long legal battle to deport them.
A CPS spokesman said material from an unnamed expert had ‘significantly undermined’ the case that the men had endangered the vessel.
‘Expert analysis of the evidence cast doubt on whether the ship or the crew were put in danger,’ she said.
But a Whitehall source said: ‘We really can’t understand this decision. It’s absurd. Are the CPS really saying that you can hijack a ship, get the special forces out to abseil on to the vessel – and still not be prosecuted? It beggars belief. We are tearing our hair out.’
A Home Office spokesman added: ‘People will struggle to understand how this can be the case. The Home Office is working with the CPS urgently to resolve the issues.’
The SBS boarded the 750ft tanker in a nine-minute operation authorised by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Mrs Patel following a ten- hour stand- off. Airborne snipers were involved and divers checked whether the tanker had been rigged with mines. The captain’s earlier plea for help had been captured in a dramatic recording and in other radio messages he is said to have feared for his life and the lives of his crew.
Bob Sanguinetti, of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said at the time: ‘At some stage they got aggressive. Clearly no one knew at the time how aggressive they were, whether they were armed or not, what their motives were, because there will have been confusion.’
Hampshire Police said yesterday the men, who had illegally boarded the Greek- owned tanker in Lagos, Nigeria, would stay in immigration detention.
They were first arrested under the 1990 Aviation and Maritime Security Act, which deals with hijackings in British waters and carries a maximum term of life in jail. Matthew John Okorie, 25, and Sunday Sylvester, 22, were later charged with conduct endangering ships.
The Nave Andromeda incident echoes a case involving four stowaways on a cargo ship in the Thames estuary in 2018. They were cleared of attempted hijack but convicted of affray and jailed for a combined total of seven years. It highlighted difficulties in securing convictions under hijacking laws.
‘This beggars belief – it’s absurd’
THE darkest hour, the old saying goes, is just before the dawn. The people of Britain, whether religious or not, will pray fervently this adage holds true.
Because at present the coronavirus crisis has taken a terrifyingly bad turn.
True, ten months into this pandemic, the bald statistics may have lost their power to shock. But the tragedy is undiminished.
Yesterday, 1,325 Covid-related deaths were recorded – the deadliest day. In some places, one in 20 people have the disease. Hospitals are struggling to cope with a relentless inrush of patients.
The implications are grave. This not only jeopardises the NHS’s ability to treat serious virus cases, but also its scope to care for those with other illnesses such as cancer.
Under such horrific circumstances, it is imperative people stick assiduously to the lockdown rules – however wearying or perplexing. The nation has sacrificed too much to drop our guard.
Yes, the Mail has questioned the Government’s competence during this ordeal. Contrary to what the former vaccine tsar disdainfully thinks of ‘non-experts’, it is vital the media holds ministers’ feet to the fire. Transparency eliminates complacency.
Gratifyingly, there now appears a tangible sense of urgency in No10. With customary boldness, Boris Johnson has set a target of delivering at least 200,000 inoculations a day by Friday. He must hit it.
The Moderna jab, with 17million doses ordered, has been approved. And the PM is snipping through any unfathomable red tape frustrating the vaccine rollout.
Every shoulder must be put to the wheel. Conquering Covid is our ultimate test. Once the vulnerable are immunised, we can begin easing these terrible restrictions and regaining the cherished freedoms upon which our health and wealth rest.
If politicians – and the public – stay firmly focused, that bright dawn is surely just over the horizon.