A French court has sentenced two Brits to 2.5 years in prison for smuggling migrants from France to the UK using a light plane. Prosecutors say that the case is unprecedented.
Pilot and architect David Green, 54, from Essex and his accomplice, 46-year-old carpenter Edward Buckley from Hertford, made five flights from Marck aerodrome near Calais, France since April, carrying between two to four passengers each time. They charged the migrants £10,000 ($13,000) each. The light plane, usually used for tourism, was a single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
Northern Calais is a major destination for migrants aiming to reach the UK. Normally, migrants hide in trucks that board ferries from France to Britain.
The local prosecutor’s office said that the case, involving flying migrants out of France, was unprecedented.
“This is the first time that we have come across attempted people-smuggling by plane” in the Calais region, prosecutor Philippe Sabatier said earlier this week, as cited by The Telegraph.
Prosecutor Raphaelle Wach said, “They were attracted by the money gain,” adding that it was “unacceptable” that the men benefited from the misfortunes of others.
The prosecution earlier requested 42 months in prison and a fine of €50,000 for the men, according to Belga, as cited by RTL.
Buckley’s lawyer, Emmanuelle Osmont, however, said that the men were not exploiting the misery of others, because the migrants chose to pay for the flights themselves. The two…