Freshwater Five: A Fishing Crew's Fight for Justice after being Jailed for 104 Years

The shocking true story of five fishermen sentenced to 104 years for a crime they didn't commit. It was the biggest haul of cocaine ever discovered in the UK £53m worth stashed inside eleven rucksacks that had snarled underneath fishing nets on the Isle of Wight. Within three hours, the police pounced, and in June 2011 five fishermen were found guilty of conspiracy to import Class A drugs. A jury believed they'd taken their boat into the Channel, then waited for someone to throw the bags into the ocean from a passing cargo ship. The men were handed prison sentences that totalled 104 years. However, when reexamined, the evidence (some of it new) proves they didn't do it. Their boat was struggling to survive a Force Eight storm; crucial facts known only to the police were withheld; surveillance reports mysteriously disappeared; key intelligence was inexplicably spoilt; radio communications conveniently broke down; and expert radar analysis, which effectively sealed the men's fate, was incorrect. Still imprisoned, the five men and their families continue to battle for their release. 104 Years is their story as told by the skipper of the crew on the night they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. AUTHOR: Mike Dunn is the author of two books: Grey Wolf (SJH, 2016) and The Belt Boy (Austin Macauley, 2016), which was shortlisted for the UK's top two sports book awards and made GQ magazine's top 10 essential reads of 2017. He is the former sports editor of News of the World/Sun/Independent and the Standard. 20 colour illustrations

Ideal for readers interested in true crime.