ESG Enforcement Tracker

A Scottish fishing skipper has been sentenced to complete 300 hours of unpaid work after admitting breaches of maritime health and safety legislation relating to the treatment of five Ghanaian crew members on board the fishing vessel, Sea Lady. The prosecution followed an investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and was brought by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The court found that Mr Nicholson failed to ensure the crew’s health and safety by providing inadequate food, insufficient rest, inadequate training and an unsafe working environment. Evidence heard by the court included that the crew worked round-the-clock shifts and were denied adequate breaks and training.

Sheriff John Hamilton KC described the case as involving “some of the most egregious breaches of health and safety regulations” he had encountered. He told the skipper: “Your behaviour was callous, cynical and solely driven by profit.”

The court stated that a custodial sentence would have been justified but imposed a Community Payback Order requiring 300 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to imprisonment. It also imposed a 12-month Restriction of Liberty Order.

The five crew members have been recognised by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery. The case follows wider scrutiny of labour practices involving companies within the TN Group, including TN Trawlers Ltd, which is associated with the Nicholson family. In 2024, a BBC investigation reported that 35 foreign men employed by TN Trawlers Ltd and associated companies had been recognised by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery.