Anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, has pleaded guilty to criminal damage after cutting a migrant dinghy with a knife in the English Channel. The 37-year-old changed his plea during a video link appearance from prison at Portsmouth Crown Court on Thursday.
Court Details and Incident
The court previously heard that Thomas took a boat into the English Channel on September 22 to watch the occupants of a migrant dinghy receiving assistance from the RNLI, Border Force, and the French Coastguard. Prosecutor Kevin Lucie explained to Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court in September that Thomas directed his vessel toward the empty rigid inflatable boat (RIB) while it was adrift.
As rescue teams approached and a French crew member boarded from a rescue vessel, Thomas armed himself with a knife and slashed the boat. During the incident, he broadcasted a livestream and made statements captured on video, saying, “This is what needs to happen to everyone in these boats. Right, you’re on English territory, This is England, this is not France anymore. Get off the boat, you have time to get off the boat. This is not France. Take them back.”
Upcoming Sentencing
Following his guilty plea for criminal damage, Thomas maintained his not guilty plea regarding a separate charge of failing to provide his phone’s PIN to police. His address was withheld by the court during an earlier hearing.
According to the Sentencing Council, the maximum penalty for criminal damage exceeding £5,000 is 10 years in prison, whereas damage valued below £5,000 carries a maximum sentence of a fine and three months behind bars. Thomas will receive credit for entering a guilty plea when he is sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on November 18.
