The Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands has ratified the sentence of six years in prison for the skipper of a small boat who tried to abandon 35 migrants, including a minor, in the middle of the sea while they were heading towards Lanzarote in December 2022.
The judicial ruling states that during the early hours of the fifth day of navigation, a zodiac with three occupants approached the small boat. The skipper tried to abandon the precarious boat and its occupants, telling them to call emergency services once they had coverage.
Faced with this situation, the migrants opposed him abandoning the boat and leaving them alone in the high seas, so the skipper tied a rope around the neck of a minor and threatened to kill him if they did not let him go, according to the proven facts of the judicial ruling.
After that, he hit another of the occupants on the head with a stick, causing a superficial wound to his scalp.
The rest of the passengers tied him hand and foot and called emergency services once they had coverage. Then the boat was rescued by Maritime Rescue and taken to the Arrecife Dock.
The accused was convicted by the Sixth Section of the Provincial Court of Las Palmas for a crime against the rights of foreign citizens, another of threats and another of injuries.
Then, he appealed to the TSJC claiming that he was "just another migrant" on the boat, something that the Chamber rejects, as it understands that there is no evidence to support this version.
With this resolution, the Criminal Chamber dismisses the appeal filed by the skipper's defense.
