France jails eight men for three to 15 years over deadly migrant Channel crossing

Paris, France: A French court on Tuesday sentenced eight men to between three and 15 years in prison over the deaths of seven people when a boat carry...

Paris, France: A French court on Tuesday sentenced eight men to between three and 15 years in prison over the deaths of seven people when a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Channel in 2023.

Two Iraqis, six Afghans and one Sudanese national went on trial in November accused of running a migrant-smuggling ring and faced charges including involuntary manslaughter, in the latest case targeting such networks between France and the UK.

Two 45-year-old Iraqi Kurds identified as the ringleaders of the smuggling network received the heaviest terms -- 12 and 15 years -- over the deaths of seven Afghans trying to reach the English coast.

The sentences were in line with prosecutors' demands of three to 15 years for the eight defendants, who are aged between 23 and 45.

The court acquitted a ninth defendant, a Sudanese man who fled war-torn Darfur and was the presumed pilot of the vessel, after the public prosecutor's office requested his release, recognising him as a "victim" in the incident.