PRESTON, England, March 28 (UPI) -- A Chinese immigrant was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment Tuesday for allowing 21 cockle pickers to drown on a sand bank off the west coast of England.
The judge who imposed the sentence on Lin Liangren said he displayed "supreme cowardice," The Telegraph reported. During the trial, witnesses said that Lin was keeping warm in a van while the tide rose and the Chinese immigrants on Warton Sands tried to call for help.
Lin's cousin, Lin Muyong, was sentenced to four years for facilitation of illegal immigration and nine months for 10 unrelated counterfeit offences, while his girlfriend, Zhao Xiao Qing, got two years and nine months for facilitation.
The judge recommended that all three be deported as soon as they complete their prison terms. But the deportation order might have to be stayed because they face additional trials and possible execution if they return to China.
The three were convicted last week after a long trial. Two British fish wholesalers were acquitted.
