Freddy Lawrence and Keith Baigent (at the helm). Smoke can be seen coming from the rear of the vessel. Photos courtesy of the National Crime Agency

Paul Kennedy

HÀ NỘI — Three men who tried to transport 11 Vietnamese immigrants into the UK by boat across the English Channel have been jailed.

During a 10-day period in August 2018, ringleader Freddy Lawrence, 57, Keith Baigent, 63, and 64-year-old Paul Giglia made five attempts to smuggle Vietnamese migrants from France to the UK, of which four trips were on a boat called the 'Sorel Light'.

The group also conspired with three associates: Ronald Scott, Toby Lake, and Stephen Chapman. Chapman was living in France, and acted as the point of contact overseas.

Unbeknown to the gang, their every move was being monitored by officers from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA). 

During the last attempt, French police conducting surveillance near Wimereux, a coastal town between Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer in France, spotted the boat about 100m from the beach.

They saw 12 people of Vietnamese origin arriving on foot at a car park in the town, who then split into several groups before gathering on the beach.

Flashes of light were seen emanating from the Sorel Light, with return signals coming from the migrants. Some of them entered the water and swam towards the boat to try and get on board, at which point the French authorities intervened.

Chapman jumped into the sea and attempted to swim away but was apprehended. Meanwhile, the person piloting the boat moved it away at speed, causing a number of French officers to fall off a ladder and into the water.

The police eventually caught up with the vessel and detained the people on board. There were 11 Vietnamese migrants, together with Lake and Scott. The twelfth migrant had fallen into the water and was also detained.

The UK-based group relied on pure chance rather than navigational experience, attempting to follow cross-channel ferries en route to France. All the crossing attempts happened in the days before the arrests in France -- from Dover, Folkestone and Ramsgate. None were successful due to repeated mechanical issues with the boats.

When the Sorel Light's engine failed, Lawrence borrowed a smaller 'Piscator' boat from a breakage yard in Kent, which itself had to be towed back to the UK following an attempted trip to France, after it ran out of fuel.

He tried to hide his criminality by using eight pay-as-you-go phones, unregistered vehicles and cash payments made via third parties. He would also use his associates' phones and leave his at unrelated locations in an attempt to stay under the radar of law enforcement.

Ronald Scott and Paul Giglia untying Sorel Light at Dover Marina.

Lawrence is a career criminal with 15 previous convictions between 1981 and 2024 for offences including supplying cocaine, producing class B drugs, ABH, burglary and common assault. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence after being convicted of supplying class A drugs and money laundering in 2024.

He was arrested alongside Baigent and Giglia in October 2018 and all three were charged with assisting unlawful immigration in May 2022.

Lawrence pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court on October 24, 2024, with Giglia and Baigent convicted at the same court on November 14 and 15, 2024 respectively.

At the same court on January 17, Lawrence was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years imprisonment, Baigent to three years nine months imprisonment and Giglia to three years and four months imprisonment.

NCA senior investigating officer Steven Ahmet said: "Although this was an amateurish criminal enterprise the intention was clear – to smuggle vulnerable migrants to the UK using ramshackle vessels.

"These journeys would have put lives in peril as Lawrence and his accomplices, who between them had little sailing experience, were navigating through one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

"Their primary motivation was financial gain and they had no regard for the lives of the people they intended to transport.

"Working with our French partners we were able to put a stop to the plot, dismantle the crime group and bring them to justice.

"We are determined to destroy the criminal networks behind organised immigration crime and pursue every option available to save lives."

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, added: "We are determined to protect our borders by taking down the unscrupulous people smuggling gangs who prey on vulnerable people and fuel dangerous and illegal journeys.

"These callous criminals put several lives on the line and their vile scheme could have easily ended in tragedy.

"I'd like to thank the skilled prosecutors and investigators involved for their tireless work to identify, disrupt and bring to justice these people-smugglers who abused our borders and put lives at risk.

"As part of this government's Plan for Change, we are ensuring those who participate in this evil trade and threaten our security will face the full force of the law."

Specialist Prosecutor for the Criminal Prosecution Service, Giorgina Venturella said: "These defendants were involved in a conspiracy which attempted to illegally smuggle people across the channel from France. In doing so they set out to undermine our national security and bypass crucial checks which are designed to keep our borders safe.

"The CPS remains dedicated to helping dismantle these criminal networks by identifying and prosecuting all those that exploit and profit from this illicit and dangerous business." — VNS