Teen Jailed for Piloting Channel Boat Carrying 165 Migrants to UK

A 19-year-old man from South Sudan has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison after admitting to endangering the lives of 165 migrants while piloting a small boat across the English Channel.

Chan Mathok Atak was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday after admitting the new offence of endangering others during a sea crossing. It is the 16th conviction since the offence was introduced in January to target people suspected of steering small boats across the Channel.

Prosecutors said Atak created a risk of death or serious injury to those on board the vessel during the crossing on 23 July.

At the time, the boat carried a record 165 migrants, including 31 children. The youngest passenger was 14. The record has since been surpassed after another vessel carrying 230 people crossed the Channel in August.

Judge Sarah Counsell said the offence was sufficiently serious to warrant an immediate prison sentence. She also warned Atak that, as a foreign national, he could in principle face automatic deportation after completing his sentence.

James Harrison, prosecuting, told the court that the inflatable boat measured 46.9ft, or 14.3m, in length and 12.8ft, or 3.9m, in width, making it roughly the length of a standard bus.

The vessel had travelled from Calais towards the UK and was already deflating when it was intercepted by Border Force vessels.

It had two outboard engines, but one was not functioning, leaving the boat dependent on a single engine during the crossing.

The National Crime Agency said the vessel was severely overcrowded and had limited supplies of food, drinking water and medication. The migrants had reportedly spent almost 24 hours at sea.

The agency also said the lifejackets provided to passengers were completely inadequate. A considerable fire risk was identified because batteries were positioned close to fuel containers.

Prosecutors told the court that Atak appeared to move away from the engine shortly before the boat was intercepted and removed his jacket in an apparent attempt to avoid being identified as the person steering the vessel.

However, aerial footage recorded over about 90 minutes showed Atak operating the boat using the remaining functioning engine while wearing a black jacket with an “Italia” logo.

The footage also showed another person repeatedly pumping air into the vessel in an effort to keep it inflated.

Harrison said there was no evidence that Atak had training or experience in navigating a vessel of that size. He argued that the number of people on board, combined with the boat’s deteriorating condition, created an obvious danger.

He said the risks involved in attempting to cross the Channel in those conditions would have been apparent to Atak.

During a police interview, Atak said he had paid €200, equivalent to about £172, to a smuggling gang for the journey. However, he denied being the person steering the boat.

NCA senior investigating officer John Turner said Atak’s actions had placed all 165 migrants in serious danger and that the vessel was unsuitable for crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

“Had this boat not been intercepted,” Turner said, the consequences could have included multiple deaths.

The new endangerment-at-sea offence was introduced earlier this year as part of efforts to prosecute people accused of piloting small boats carrying migrants across the Channel.

Anna Turley, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, described Atak as an “evil criminal” and said he was among 16 people sentenced within three months for offences involving dangerous Channel crossings.

She said the case demonstrated how smuggling gangs use unsafe and overcrowded boats to transport people seeking to reach the UK.

Atak’s defence barrister, Audrey Mogan, disputed the extent of his responsibility for the conditions on the boat.

She argued that there was no evidence linking Atak to the number of passengers, the condition of the vessel, inadequate lifejackets, missing safety equipment or the absence of flares.

Mogan also told the court that Atak had fled South Sudan after experiencing extreme violence, including witnessing people being shot and having their throats cut, as well as a neighbourhood being set on fire by militia.

The case highlights the continuing legal action against people accused of piloting migrant boats, as UK authorities seek to disrupt Channel smuggling operations while crossings continue.