A man has been charged after allegedly taking control of a fishing boat in Ramsgate Harbour and demanding the crew take him to France to collect his family. The 100-tonne vessel, named Carousel, was left adrift after its mooring ropes snapped during the incident in the early hours of November 3.
Incident Details
Fisherman Olly Swift said the suspect, a Sudanese national living in Manchester, was demanding to be taken to France. Kent Police reported that an attempt was made to take a fishing boat to sea, causing damage to the vessel shortly before 3.30am.
Officers attended following reports, and a man was arrested. Bilal Adam, 30, of Greater Manchester, was charged with aggravated vehicle taking (taking a conveyance without consent causing damage). He was remanded in custody to appear before Margate Magistrates' Court.
Crew Response
Mr Swift described how the crew managed to get “on top of the situation” and bring the boat back alongside the harbour wall. He said: “The lads were asleep in their beds, tied up to the wall because of the bad weather. They woke up to the engine starting and the boat going flat out ahead and the ropes snapping.
“They thought it was me tinkering around in the engine room, but it wasn’t.”
