{"id":994,"date":"2026-06-09T16:17:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=994"},"modified":"2026-06-09T16:17:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:17:17","slug":"he-told-us-we-were-slaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=994","title":{"rendered":"He told us we were slaves"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>7 Minute, 52 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joshua Amissah got up from his seat in the witness box and stepped away from the interpreter by his side.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ruby-table-contents rbtoc table-fw\">\n<ul class=\"toc-content h5\">\n<li><a href=\"#8216it-pains-us-it-cost-us-a-lot8217\" class=\"table-link no-link anchor-link\" data-index=\"rb-heading-index-0\">\u2018It pains us, it cost us a lot\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#8216concerning-case8217\" class=\"table-link no-link anchor-link\" data-index=\"rb-heading-index-1\">\u2018Concerning case\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The end was drawing near in a nine-year fight for justice, in a case of modern slavery on a Scottish fishing trawler.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 40-year-old Ghanaian walked a few steps to the corner of the silent court room, crouched and covered his face. He was composing himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe told us we were slaves,\u201d Amissah said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe said that his father had told him that any black person he worked with, he must treat that person as a slave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amissah had been employed aboard the Sea Lady \u2013 a vessel owned and operated by the Annan-based TN Trawlers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He told the jury at Hamilton Sheriff Court of the time he had confronted his skipper over his poor treatment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company owner was Thomas Nicholson. The skipper in the dock was his son, Tom Jr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, Nicholson admitted breaching a human trafficking court order in a Scottish legal first.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just days earlier, his son Tom Jr admitted failing to provide adequate food and rest to five Ghanaian fishermen while he was a skipper at TN Trawlers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It comes after a three-year investigation by the BBC into claims of mistreatment of migrant fishermen by the firm over a decade.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a4ee\/live\/1ed39090-60fd-11f1-ae0d-afcc10479766.jpg.webp\" alt=\"COPFS The Sea Lady is a blue trawler with a bronze rusted mid-section\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Amissah was employed on the Sea Lady \u2013 a scallop vessel operated by TN Trawlers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On board the Sea Lady the work was continuous. Amissah and his Ghanaian crewmates had devised a secret rota to get some sleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such was the lack of food, another crewmate told the court that they had resorted to eating fish and octopus and fish caught by the dredges to survive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was no induction, no training, the court heard.<br \/>\u201cAs soon as we got there, he said we should just get to work,\u201d Amissah said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[Tom Jr] said there was no time and that we needed to go hunt for scallops.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was no rest during the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, after three days of evidence, the case suddenly ended.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After some amendments to the charge, Tom Jr had changed his plea to guilty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He admitted failing to provide adequate food, rest or training to his Ghanaian crew as he skippered the vessel in the English Channel over months in 2017.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"8216it-pains-us-it-cost-us-a-lot8217\" class=\"rb-heading-index-0 wp-block-heading\">\u2018It pains us, it cost us a lot\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amissah, who is still a fisherman, spoke to BBC Scotland News outside Hamilton Sheriff Court alongside his fellow crew member, Kow Mensah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we experienced nine years ago, that was tough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople don\u2019t understand because they weren\u2019t with us at the fishing grounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou don\u2019t have any choice to say anything, or speak out or challenge. You don\u2019t want to say anything that will cause you harm, or your family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt pains us. It has cost us a lot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want the whole world and other fishermen or other skippers to know that this is not the right way to treat the crew.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8bc7\/live\/f2960540-6344-11f1-81a3-11c500fa26e7.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Gavin Hopkins Augustus Mensah is bald and looks at the camera with a neutral expression. He is wearing a brown jacket and white shirt underneath\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Augustus Mensah featured in the BBC Scotland documentary Slavery at Sea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of Tom Jr\u2019s sudden guilty plea, Kow Mensah and two other Ghanian men \u2013 Gershon Norvivor and Kojo Attah \u2013 did not get the opportunity to testify.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the court did hear how an injury to another crew mate, Augustus Mensah, helped the men escape their ordeal on the Sea Lady.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During rough weather in the English Channel in December 2017, Augustus Mensah, 55, fell and struck his head on the deck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They eventually found a first aid kit to treat his open wound, but there was only a single bandage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the vessel travelled to Portsmouth for medical treatment, the police became involved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Augustus Mensah\u2019s story featured prominently in the BBC\u2019s 2024 Disclosure documentary \u201cSlavery At Sea\u201d and File on 4\u2019s \u201cInvisible Souls\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He spoke to the BBC again last week. He said he waited \u201cnine good years\u201d to tell his story to a court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said: \u201cI was grateful to give evidence because they tried to deceive the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy for me, but I am very happy that at long last we got our justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d54e\/live\/02bb4380-634b-11f1-9ef5-8df0f6c3ec20.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Wound with stitches on top of a man&#039;s head\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Augustus Mensah was injured when he fell and struck his head on the deck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tom Nicholson Jr will return to court to be sentenced next month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While his case was prosecuted under maritime health and safety laws, it started life as an investigation into human trafficking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dubbed \u201cOperation Feature\u201d, the probe began when members of the Sea Lady and another boat, the Noordzee, were taken in by police at Portsmouth after Augustus Mensah\u2019s head injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The men from Ghana and India were later recognised by the UK Home Office as victims of modern slavery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, in late 2022, the Crown Office dropped the trafficking case<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Crown said: \u201cThere is no longer enough evidence to allow this case to carry on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after Augustus Mensah and others applied for a \u201cright to review\u201d, the case was eventually resurrected under the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) Act.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b641\/live\/277051d0-6101-11f1-9134-bfd933b9750c.png.webp\" alt=\"Tom Nicholson Jr has short, brown hair and is wearing a dark navy suit with a blue shirt and grey tie outside Hamilton Sheriff Court\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Nicholson Jr pled guilty at Hamilton Sheriff Court last week<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case was the second time a member of the Nicholson family appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court to face charges of breaching health and safety at sea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In November 2022, Tom Nicholson Jnr\u2019s father Thomas Nicholson \u2013 who led TN Trawlers \u2013 admitted failing to get adequate care for a Filipino crewman, Joel Quince.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was fined \u00a313,500 and ordered to pay Quince \u00a33,000 in compensation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That case stemmed from a 2012 police investigation \u2013 \u201cOperation Alto\u201d \u2013 in which 18 crew from the Philippines were recognised as victims of modern slavery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week Nicholson, 63, was also fined \u00a32,700 after breaching a human trafficking court order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He is understood to be the first person in Scotland to receive and breach a Trafficking and Exploitation Risk Order (TERO).<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"8216concerning-case8217\" class=\"rb-heading-index-1 wp-block-heading\">\u2018Concerning case\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicholson \u2013 who remains under investigation for trafficking \u2013 was given the order by Dumfries Sheriff Court to prevent him moving vessels without providing non-European crew details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He breached an interim version of the order when he moved his vessel Olivia Jean from the Netherlands to Scotland without providing documents to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His defence said this was a \u201cgenuine mistake\u201d and no foreign crew were aboard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phil Taylor, director of the charity Open Seas, described the fine as \u201cpaltry\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also highlighted the awarding of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c3ejzzyegp9o#:~:text=The%20funding%20was%3A,the%20Covid%20pandemic%20in%202021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more than \u00a3250,000 of public funding to TN Trawlers while human trafficking investigations were ongoing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a really concerning case, and it\u2019s hard to understand how this firm was provided with public funding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be possible for ministers to hand out tens of thousands of pounds to a business under investigation for human trafficking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis case shows how important it is for government to scrutinise the work of firms it is supporting with public money, and to publish details of historical convictions and ongoing investigations on the UK fishing vessel register, to ensure those who break the rules are held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8352\/live\/dba32370-6319-11f1-89a3-d1f559421220.png.webp\" alt=\"Close-up of Thomas Nicholson in a dark sweater. He is turning his head to look over his shoulder, with a blurred outdoor background\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thomas Nicholson breached a Trafficking and Exploitation Risk Order<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Det Ch Insp Paul McNamara, of Police Scotland, said: \u201cThis investigation was a long running, joint operation between the Home Office, Border Force, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and Police Scotland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs part of this, a Trafficking and Exploitation Risk Order (TERO) was in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBreaches of the conditions imposed were identified through intelligence and Thomas Nicholson was reported in connection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said TEROs served a critical role in protecting those at risk of trafficking and exploitation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McNamara added: \u201cThey allow police to step in at an early stage to prevent harm and disrupt organisations while we investigate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPartnership working is essential as we share knowledge and skills to target those who make money by exploiting others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to make Scotland a hostile environment for organisations involved in slavery and exploitation, to protect potential victims and keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chris Williams, fisheries section co-ordinator at the International Transport Workers Federation, said there was a \u201cstructural, systemic problem\u201d in migrant worker recruitment in the fishing industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said: \u201cWhat we need is a solution that enables workers from the Philippines, Ghana, Sri Lanka and India to come into the UK fishing industry with employment rights, minimum wage protections, and their hours of work and rest being recorded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the UK should not allow a \u201crace to the bottom\u201d where workers can be exploited and abused.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Williams added: \u201cWe should be paying people fairly and treating them fairly if we\u2019re so desperate to have them to keep this food-producing sector working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, the BBC identified 35 men who worked for TN Trawlers and were later identified by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Disclosure and File on 4 production featured contributions from former workers from the Philippines, Ghana and India who alleged they had been mistreated by the company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In October 2024, another group of fishermen from Ghana were awarded \u00a320,000 each in compensation by the UK government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crew were rescued in 2020 from the scallop-trawler Olivia Jean, also owned by TN Trawlers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TN Trawlers denied any allegation of modern slavery or human trafficking and said its workers were well-treated and well-paid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news1gh.com\/he-told-us-we-were-slaves-the-fight-for-justice-on-a-scottish-fishing-trawler\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"994\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-2\" post-id=\"994\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sad.svg\" alt=\"Sad\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sad                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-3\" post-id=\"994\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/excited.svg\" alt=\"Excited\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Excited                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-6\" post-id=\"994\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sleepy.svg\" alt=\"Sleepy\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sleepy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-4\" post-id=\"994\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/angry.svg\" alt=\"Angry\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Angry<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-5\" post-id=\"994\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/surprise.svg\" alt=\"Surprise\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Surprise<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joshua Amissah got up from his seat in the witness box and stepped away from the interpreter by his side. \u2018It pains us, it cost us a lot\u2019 \u2018Concerning case\u2019 The end was drawing near in a nine-year fight for justice, in a case of modern slavery on a Scottish fishing trawler. The 40-year-old Ghanaian&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-international-news","8":"category-news"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}