A fisherman from Kent has become an online sensation for catching a huge shark and has spoken of his battle to reel it into his boat.

Kevin Finch, who lives in Headcorn but is originally from Chatham, caught the 500lb fish off the coast of Cornwall.

But it was a far from straightforward trip for Mr Finch who caught the porbeagle shark, a relative of the great white shark.

The 31-year-old, who says he had struggled with a cocaine and cannabis addiction until around a year ago, explained: “I caught a bluefin tuna in October. Then, I was determined to catch a porbeagle shark but on my own boat and using my own gear.

“I went there on a Tuesday. I got all the way there and, after a six-and-a-half hour drive, my boat broke as soon as I put it into the water.

“So I had to come home after waiting in the water for 10 hours because of the tide.

“Then, my van broke on that Friday.

"I had to go all the way to Essex to buy a boat part, then go all the way down to Brighton where I begged them to fix it, and I managed to get my van sorted as well, all in that same day.

“Everything was telling me that I shouldn’t go down there because it was just going to be another waste of time.

"But I went anyway, got out into the water and, after about an hour, I hooked onto the shark.

“The rest is history, really.”

Mr Finch, who landed his catch earlier this month and hit the headlines, says he has always been a keen fisherman but, after buying a 17ft Wilson Flyer boat around three months ago, he has spent more time fishing.

He said: “I have always fished. But previously, I was a drug addict - I used to have a cannabis and cocaine addiction.

“But I never really had the money to pay for it as such. I gave that up 10 or 11 months ago, then I used the money and the addiction side of my personality to invest in fishing, really.

“It has all gone from there.”

Mr Finch, who is currently focusing on working on his YouTube channel, admits there were stages where he was worried he would be overpowered by the 10ft shark.

He said: “It did nearly overpower me a couple of times where it nearly took me over the edge of the boat.

“I had to use the boat as a leverage system because it was running me all around the gaffe.

“At one point, I nearly broke my arm.”

After taking the measurements, Mr Finch unhooked the shark and released it back into the sea.

His YouTube channel, which hopes to help people struggling with anxiety and mental health issues, can be found at https://bit.ly/3nqF5Xp.

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