He told us we were slaves – The fight for justice on a Scottish fishing trawler 7 days ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Chris Clements Scotland social affairs correspondent BBC Kow Mensah and Joshua Amissah were told to work non-stop without enough food Joshua Amissah got up from his seat in the witness box and stepped away from the interpreter by his side. The end was drawing near in a nine-year fight for justice, in a case of modern slavery on a Scottish fishing trawler. The 40-year-old Ghanaian walked a few steps to the corner of the silent court room, crouched and covered his face. He was composing himself. “He told us we were slaves,” Amissah said. “He said that his father had told him that any black person he worked with, he must treat that person as a slave.” Skipper admits failure to provide food and rest for foreign seamen Amissah had been employed aboard the Sea Lady – a vessel owned and operated by the Annan-based TN Trawlers. He told the jury at Hamilton Sheriff Court of the time he had confronted his skipper over his poor treatment. The company owner was Thomas Nicholson. The skipper in the dock was his son, Tom Jr. On Monday, Nicholson admitted breaching a human trafficking court order in a Scottish legal first. Just days earlier, his son Tom Jr admitted failing to provide adequate food and rest to five Ghanaian fishermen while he was a skipper at TN Trawlers. It comes after a three-year investigation by the BBC into claims of mistreatment of migrant fishermen by the firm over a decade. COPFS Amissah was employed on the Sea Lady – a scallop vessel operated by TN Trawlers On board the Sea Lady the work was continuous. Amissah and his Ghanaian crewmates had devised a secret rota to get some sleep. Such was the lack of food, another crewmate told the court that they had resorted to eating fish and octopus caught by the dredges to survive. There was no induction, no training, the court heard. “As soon as we got there, he said we should just get to work,” Amissah said. “[Tom Jr] said there was no time and that we needed to go hunt for scallops.” “There was no rest during the trip.” Then, after three days of evidence, the case suddenly ended. After some amendments to the charge, Tom Jr had changed his plea to guilty. He admitted failing to provide adequate food, rest or training to his Ghanaian crew as he skippered the vessel in the English Channel over months in 2017. ‘It pains us, it cost us a lot’ Amissah, who is still a fisherman, spoke to BBC Scotland News outside Hamilton Sheriff Court alongside his fellow crew member, Kow Mensah. “What we experienced nine years ago, that was tough,” he said. “People don’t understand because they weren’t with us at the fishing grounds. “You don’t have any choice to say anything, or speak out or challenge. You don’t want to say anything that will cause you harm, or your family. “It pains us. It has cost us a lot. “We want the whole world and other fishermen or other skippers to know that this is not the right way to treat the crew.” Gavin Hopkins Augustus Mensah featured in the BBC Scotland documentary Slavery at Sea Because of Tom Jr’s sudden guilty plea, Kow Mensah and two other Ghanian men – Gershon Norvivor and Kojo Attah – did not get the opportunity to testify. But the court did hear how an injury to another crew mate, Augustus Mensah, helped the men escape their ordeal on the Sea Lady. During rough weather in the English Channel in December 2017, Augustus Mensah, 55, fell and struck his head on the deck. They eventually found a first aid kit to treat his open wound, but there was only a single bandage. After the vessel travelled to Portsmouth for medical treatment, the police became involved. Augustus Mensah’s story featured prominently in the BBC’s 2024 Disclosure documentary “Slavery At Sea” and File on 4’s “Invisible Souls”. He spoke to the BBC again last week. He said he waited “nine good years” to tell his story to a court. He said: “I was grateful to give