LONDON: The head of a gang of Chinese cockle pickers was found guilty on Friday of the manslaughter of 21 workers who drowned on a wild winter night off northwestern England in February 2004.

Lin Liangren had taken them to the scenic but treacherous Morecambe Bay in Lancashire where, at low tide, a rich harvest of the lucrative shellfish can be dug out of the sands.

As the tide turned and began to rush back to shore, they found themselves stranded far from dry land and eventually 23 of them drowned. Two bodies were never found.

Preston Crown Court also found Lin guilty of perverting the course of justice and facilitating illegal entry into the country after a trial lasting nearly six months.

The case made international headlines and highlighted the plight of immigrant - and often illegal - workers, unprotected by national labour regulations.

The Chinese men and women, smuggled into England to live effectively as slaves, drowned due to the "goldrush fever" for cockles, lead prosecutor Tim Holroyde told the court when the trial opened last September.

The sands of Morecambe Bay are said to hold millions of pounds worth of cockles, a small edible mollusc especially popular in Spain.

The court also found Lin's girlfriend Zhao Xiaoqing guilty of perverting the course of justice and facilitating illegal entry, while his cousin Lin Muyong was also guilty of facilitating illegal entry.

Manslaughter carries a possible life jail term as does perverting the course of justice. Sentencing is due on Tuesday.

The court cleared an English father and son, both named David Anthony Eden, of the same immigration charge but the judge insisted they pay their own costs.

All five had denied all the charges.

Morecambe Bay, some 300 kilometres northwest of London, is known for its rip tides and quick sands. Even local fishermen familiar with its secrets have had horses and tractors sucked into the sands.

The cocklers, many of whom could not swim, were far out in the bay at low tide and had no chance of surviving as the sea rushed in on a wet and windy night.

"It was horrendous for them. There, one and a half to two miles out in the bay, there was no way they could reach land," said Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell outside the court. "It was bitter and they'd been working hard. Listening to some of the phone calls (they made) you can hear the harrowing noises as people tried to save themselves," he added.

Following the tragedy, the government moved to regulate gangs of migrant workers.

Source: China Daily/Agencies