The Freshwater Five is a true story of five men accused of attempting one of the world's biggest drug smuggling operations in UK waters, but were they really guilty? The story reveals the human misery of brutal prison sentences and questions the fairness of the British legal system.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 17 June 2021
Publisher: The History Press Ltd

All I am is a fisherman. Thats all Im guilty of,Your Honour. On 31 May 2010 eleven holdalls were discovered along the shore near Freshwater on the Isle of Wight; when opened they contained £53m worth of cocaine – the biggest haul ever found in UK waters. A local fishing crew was accused of waiting in the Channel for the bags to be thrown from a passing cargo ship in an operation allegedly masterminded by a local scaffolder. The Freshwater Five is a true story that cuts to the heart of the British judicial system. Did five men really attempt one of the worlds biggest drug smuggling operations – or were they simply in the wrong place,at the wrong time? Why did the police hastily alter key surveillance statements,why were logs blacked out or mysteriously left empty – and why was crucial evidence never disclosed at trial? All five men fiercely denied the allegations,but a jury rejected their version of the events. This is the story of what actually happened as told by the skipper of the crew. Its a story that reveals the human misery of brutal prison sentences and a story that leaves the reader with one question: Does the British legal system really dispense justice?

All I am is a fisherman. Thats all Im guilty of,Your Honour.

On 31 May 2010 eleven holdalls were discovered along the shore near Freshwater on the Isle of Wight; when opened they contained £53m worth of cocaine – the biggest haul ever found in UK waters.

A local fishing crew was accused of waiting in the Channel for the bags to be thrown from a passing cargo ship in an operation allegedly masterminded by a local scaffolder.

The Freshwater Five is a true story that cuts to the heart of the British judicial system. Did five men really attempt one of the worlds biggest drug smuggling operations – or were they simply in the wrong place,at the wrong time? Why did the police hastily alter key surveillance statements,why were logs blacked out or mysteriously left empty – and why was crucial evidence never disclosed at trial? All five men fiercely denied the allegations,but a jury rejected their version of the events.

This is the story of what actually happened as told by the skipper of the crew. Its a story that reveals the human misery of brutal prison sentences and a story that leaves the reader with one question: Does the British legal system really dispense justice?

Weight: 372g
Dimension: 130 x 197 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780750992473