Fisherman's fake obituary praised a 'gentleman at sea'

Fisherman Derek Atkins tried to convince the authorities he was dead by writing his own obituary in the industry newspaper to avoid possible fines of up to £1 million for flouting fishing regulations.

Atkins, 55, authored a glowing obituary of himself, published in the trade newspaper Fishing News, that paid tribute to "a gentleman at sea with a great sense of humour who would always help anyone".

It also outlined his firm belief that the fishing authorities - the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) - and the government simply wanted "to stop the British fisherman earning an honest living".


Click for bigger.

The trawlerman, known in the industry as Roger Atkins, sent in the obituary while he was being investigated for falsifying his fish catch accounts.

He also wrote a letter to the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) purporting to be from his common law wife, asking it to halt prosecutions because he had just died from a heart attack. Handwriting analysis later showed the letter was his work, rather than that of his common law wife, Lynda Flynn, 51.

He was charged and now faces fines of up to £50,000 on each of the 21 charges relating to not recording his catches in the English Channel under conservation regulations.