Tbh I don’t think authorities could have held onto it without actually prosecuting the captain. Releasing the captain with no charges and releasing the boat retracting the fine shows the authorities didn’t have anything solid. I’m sure it will be spun to say how the French did this to defuse the situation and the UK should grant the licenses. But that means the UK would be breaking it’s own trade deal it signed with the EU. I can see the UK telling France the boats need to apply for a NEW license and they will be approved. Which makes far more sense than these hissy fits.
>Mr Ward still faces trial in France next August regardless of Wednesday’s court ruling that the boat can be released.
>He has been charged with illegal fishing without a licence in French waters – **but the case could be dropped before it reaches
trial.**
If he has been fishing illegally, he should be tried for this.
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Tbh I don’t think authorities could have held onto it without actually prosecuting the captain. Releasing the captain with no charges and releasing the boat retracting the fine shows the authorities didn’t have anything solid. I’m sure it will be spun to say how the French did this to defuse the situation and the UK should grant the licenses. But that means the UK would be breaking it’s own trade deal it signed with the EU. I can see the UK telling France the boats need to apply for a NEW license and they will be approved. Which makes far more sense than these hissy fits.
>Mr Ward still faces trial in France next August regardless of Wednesday’s court ruling that the boat can be released.
>He has been charged with illegal fishing without a licence in French waters – **but the case could be dropped before it reaches
trial.**
If he has been fishing illegally, he should be tried for this.
What happened to this?
https://www.itv.com/news/2021-10-28/france-detains-british-trawler-as-row-over-fishing-rights-remains-unsolved