A Dorset man involved in illegal fishing for razor clams in Cornish waters has been sentenced for his part in what was described as a “significant criminal enterprise.”

Jake Richardson, from Beaminster, was part of a wider prosecution involving illegal electro-fishing.

This involved using electrical currents on the seabed, causing razor clams to leave their burrows.

They are then collected by a diver following the fishing boat, in much larger numbers than would otherwise be collected by hand-gathering alone.

The use of electrical current for fishing is prohibited in EU and UK waters, under EU legislation which has been adopted by the UK.

Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) is behind the prosecution, and the main defendant – 41-year-old Daniel Bracken Turner, from Wittersham, Kent – together with his company, Daniel Turner Marine & Forestry Ltd, will be sentenced in September.

Richardson, aged 26, was at Truro Crown Court on Friday, June 30, having admitted eight offences involving electro-fishing.

Two of these offences took place inside the designated fishing area and six were outside of it, said prosecutor Feleena Grosvenor.

She added that Richardson had been paid a total of £12,180 by Daniel Turner for his part in the fishing.

Graeme Wilson, representing Richardson, said that at the time of the offences the defendant was only 21 years old.

He described Richardson’s background as “unstable”, with his parents divorcing when he was young and he went to live with his alcoholic father.

He spent a number of years in care and struggled to find work, having left school at 16 with no qualifications.

Richardson made friends with David Turner’s son and went on holiday with the family, where Turner asked if he would like to work on his fishing boat.

Mr Wilson said: “This defendant had no experience whatsoever of fishing or being at sea,” adding that he had no idea of what was a designated area or not.

He was paid on a ‘per catch’ basis and stayed for around nine months, earning roughly £12,000.

His role was to sort through the bags of razor clams brought up by the divers, and throw back any too small.

“He had no idea that electro-fishing was unlawful,” added Mr Wilson, who went on to say Richardson felt “in some ways in debt to Mr Turner for being given the opportunity of a job when he was struggling to find employment at that time.”

Judge Simon Carr said Richardson pleaded guilty late in what had been a lengthy prosecution.

However, he acknowledged there had been “a degree of pressure” on Richardson, who knew Turner and his son, adding: “You were only 21 and had no experience in the fishing industry.

“I accept you would have been unaware at the time of the fishing rules.

“But the clandestine nature of this enterprise, you must have become aware that something was wrong.”

He ordered Richardson to pay £250 for each offence, making a total of £2,000, with a further £1,000 towards the prosecution costs – which the judge said had reached in the region of £150,000.

What Cornwall IFCA have said

The Cornwall IFCA has described it as “by far the largest and most complex investigation ever undertaken”.

On Monday (June 26) the Cornwall IFCA claimed a “huge victory” after closing down what it described as a “significant criminal enterprise.”

It followed the sentencing of five further men – four from Cornwall – for their roles in the crimes.

Sentenced at the court on Monday were:

Luke Anderson (aged 44) of St. Margarets–at-Cliffe, Kent: Total fines of £3,000, plus costs of £3,000.

Marc Drew (aged 50) of Mousehole, Cornwall: Fine of £3,500 and costs £2,000.

Graeme Etheridge (aged 61) of Paul, Cornwall: Fines of £3,750 and costs of £2,500.

David Thomasson (aged 52) of Bodmin, Cornwall: Fines of £5,500 and costs of £2,500.

Ross Waters (aged 47) of St Buryan, Cornwall: Fine of £1,000 and costs of £2,000.

Richardson had also been summoned to court on Monday but failed to appear, with his defence barrister telling the judge he “simply couldn’t raise the money” to travel to Cornwall, having recently been made redundant.

Judge Carr was unsympathetic, however, issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Today he was told that Richardson had handed himself into Yeovil Police Station within an hour of the warrant, spent a night in the cells at Bridgwater Police Station and was then granted bail at Taunton Magistrates’ Court for him to appear today.

Other defendants who pleaded guilty previously and received conditional discharges are Steven Corcoran, aged 46, of Motherwell, Scotland and Simon Tester, aged 52, of Canterbury, Kent.

A complex investigation

The extensive Cornwall IFCA investigation involved five vessels which were used for electro-fishing, including one which was bought and used by the then-serving Cornwall IFCA member, David Thomasson.

Incredibly, on the day before a court appearance for fishing from one of Mr Turner’s vessels, Thomasson was discovered electro-fishing again with another of the defendants – having bought their own vessel, and equipment, and set up their own company.

Thomasson was a Marine Management Organisation-appointed member of the committee that oversees Cornwall IFCA. He was immediately suspended from the authority and is no longer a serving member.