Mark Stribling, Robert Stilwell and Stephen Jackson all admit to assisting unlawful immigration into the UK

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Three men have been sentenced to prison terms over two separate attempts to smuggle Albanians into the UK in boats across the Channel.

A former Commonwealth judo champion has been jailed for more than four years after admitting that he attempted to smuggle 18 Albanian migrants into Britain before his boat broke down.

Robert Stilwell, 33, and an accomplice, Mark Stribling, 35, both admitted plotting to assist unlawful immigration into the UK.

Stilwell and Stribling were sentenced at Maidstone crown court hours before a third man, Stephen Jackson, was sentenced at Lewes crown court for trying to smuggle in a group of Albanian migrants six days earlier.

Jackson, 51, a sailor, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for smuggling 17 migrants into a marina near Chichester, West Sussex. He pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration by sailing a boat carrying Albanian men aged between 20 and 44 into the marina on 23 May.

In Lewes, the court was told that Jackson had been issued with a European arrest warrant for allegedly perverting the course of justice in connection with a murder in Spain.

The case reportedly relates to the disappearance of 32-year-old Lisa Brown, from Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire, who was last seen in November 2015.

Maidstone crown court heard that Stilwell and Stribling’s attempt to bring 18 Albanians into the country narrowly avoided disaster after their dangerously overladen boat ran out of fuel and began to take on water off the Kent coast.

They were to be paid £2,000 each to make the journey to a location south of Calais and transport the migrants, who had paid £6,000 each for the crossing, Maidstone crown court heard.

The group of 15 men, one woman and two children had waded into the water before climbing on board the white rigid inflatable boat on the evening of 28 May.

Stilwell, who represented Great Britain in judo and held European and Commonwealth championship titles, and Stribling were caught after the UK Border Force patrol boat HMC Valiant received reports of suspicious activity relating to a small boat approaching the Kent coast near Dymchurch, just before 1am on 29 May.

The boat arrived on the scene and found a vessel crammed full of people that had run out of power and was taking on water 1.5 miles (2.4km) from the shore.

Immigration officials found 20 people on board and only two of them, subsequently identified as Stilwell and Stribling, were dressed in warm clothing and lifejackets.

A helicopter was scrambled and the migrants were taken ashore to Dover and into the custody of the border force.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A video still of Mark Stribling and Robert Stilwell wearing lifejackets on board the boat carrying the 18 Albanian migrants. Photograph: Home Office/PA

Sentencing, the judge, Jeremy Carey, told Stilwell and Stribling: “You had something which would save you in the event of disaster. You had lifejackets. They were not provided with any such safety.

“They were desperate. You knew that because they were illegal entrants to this country. There is nothing I have read to indicate you were expressing concern about the number of people getting into the vessel.

“The footage from the helicopter shows it was grossly overladen – absolutely full of human beings. They at that stage were in a desperate state for fear of drowning.”

Dave Fairclough, the assistant director of the immigration enforcement criminal investigations team, said: “This was a particularly callous attempt to smuggle people into the UK.

“We often talk about people smugglers treating individuals as commodities. To my mind, that is exactly how Stilwell and Stribling regarded their passengers. They were not human beings, they were cargo, and as such did not merit lifejackets for a dangerous night crossing, in poor conditions, of one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.”

Stribling, of Farningham, Kent, was jailed for four years and eight months and Stilwell, of Greenhithe, Kent, was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.

Stilwell appeared stunned by the sentence and mouthed “tell them I love them” as he was sent down, while Stribling smirked.

Carey said: “This case shows the best and the worst of human characteristics. On the part of the rescue services, a real and conspicuous devotion to duty and at considerable risk to themselves.

“On your part, greed, recklessness and deceit, and the desire to get easy money. In the event, there was a rescue and those who were rescued should be very grateful, as you should be to those who came to your aid. A tragedy was averted by a whisker.”

Martha Walsh, prosecuting in Lewes, told the court that the boat used by Jackson was also overloaded. It was 10 metres long and suitable for between six and eight passengers, she said.

Walsh said there was an insufficient number of lifejackets on the boat and none of the men had permission to enter Britain. Eight were immediately deported.

The operation involved a “significant degree of planning” by Jackson, said Walsh. He was described as an experienced sailor who had a boat in Lanzarote. “This was a voyage in which those 17 men had their lives in some degree of jeopardy,” she said.