Sudanese Teen jailed for piloting migrant ‘dangerously overcrowded mega dinghy’

19-year-old sentenced to 27 months after overcrowded boat carrying 165 people spent almost 24 hours at sea

A 19-year-old migrant has been jailed for more than two years after piloting a dangerously overcrowded dinghy carrying 165 people across the English Channel.

Chan Mathok Atak, from South Sudan, was sentenced to two years and three months at Canterbury Crown Court after admitting a new offence of endangering others during a sea crossing.

The vessel was almost 47ft long and 13ft wide — roughly the length of a bus — but was packed with 165 people, including 31 children.

And by the time Border Force intercepted it, the boat was beginning to deflate.

One engine — and almost no safety margin

Prosecutors said the dinghy had two outboard engines but only one was working.

It had been at sea for almost 24 hours, with limited food, drinking water and medication, while the quality of the lifejackets was described as “completely inadequate”.

The National Crime Agency said the positioning of batteries close to fuel cans also created a considerable fire risk.

One person was filmed constantly pumping air into the vessel as it deflated.

Prosecutor James Harrison told the court there was no evidence Atak had any training or experience in navigating such a vessel.

He said the danger created by the size of the boat, the number of people aboard and its deteriorating condition should have been obvious.

Tried to hide among the passengers

The court heard that as the boat approached Britain, Atak moved away from the engine and removed his jacket in an apparent attempt to avoid being identified as the helmsman.

But 90 minutes of aerial footage showed him piloting the vessel with its remaining working engine while wearing a black jacket bearing an “Italia” logo.

Atak told investigators he had paid €200 for the crossing and denied being the helmsman.

The NCA said his actions had placed all 165 people on board in severe danger.

Defence: He didn't create the chaos

His barrister, Audrey Mogan, argued that there was no evidence Atak had anything to do with the boat's overcrowding or its poor condition.

“There was not a single shred of evidence” that he had any involvement in the number of people on board, the state of the dinghy, the inadequate lifejackets or missing safety equipment, she told the court.

Mogan described Atak as a young man who had escaped horrific violence in South Sudan, where he had witnessed people being shot and murdered and a neighbourhood being burned by militia.

The court was told he had paid to make the crossing rather than being involved in organising it.

New offence targets Channel pilots

The case is the 16th conviction since endangerment at sea became a new offence in January, specifically targeting people alleged to have piloted small boats across the Channel.

Judge Sarah Counsell said the offence was so serious that only an immediate prison sentence could be justified.

She also warned Atak that, as a foreign national, he could in principle face automatic deportation after completing his sentence.

The government has made the new offence a central part of its attempt to target those steering migrant boats.

Border Security and Asylum Minister Anna Turley described Atak as an “evil criminal”, saying the case demonstrated the risks created by people steering flimsy, overcrowded boats.

But the defence case raises another question: where does the responsibility lie when migrants themselves are put at the controls of vessels that have already been dangerously overloaded by the people organising the crossings?

The July crossing involved a record 165 people at the time.

That record did not last long.

In August, another Channel boat arrived carrying 230 people.

SOURCE

It's not right taking prison places away from British people.

Should be deported immediately.

I wonder.....this is purely a thought experiment not aimed at boat people, governments, RNLI........what if anyone piloting a boat carrying asylum seekers faced an automatic life sentence for endangering life?

I know anyone piloting these boats is automatically class as not an asylum seeker......but heavily publicised, the automatic life sentence must have a huge impact?

Obviously, this would have to go hand in hand with accessible safe route options.

Edited 18 hours ago18 hr by Will B Good

The biggest lie since the "Welsh choirboy" narrative?

If this guy is 19 Im the queen of Sheeba. Do any of the forum woke admit to believing this BS or can we all agree, for once, we are being openly lied to by the leftie establishment?

He's got some of what he wanted? Two years of "three squares and a cot"

47 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I wonder.....this is purely a thought experiment not aimed at boat people, governments, RNLI........what if anyone piloting a boat carrying asylum seekers faced an automatic life sentence for endangering life?

I know anyone piloting these boats is automatically class as not an asylum seeker......but heavily publicised, the automatic life sentence must have a huge impact?

Obviously, this would have to go hand in hand with accessible safe route options.

Well it wouldn’t apply to the RNLI’s sea worthy boats would it.

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well it wouldn’t apply to the RNLI’s sea worthy boats would it.

We'll have to see what the shadow home secretary says first.....Danny Tommo..................the knife wielding, drug dealing, kidnapper.

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

19-year-old migrant has been jailed for more than two years after piloting a dangerously overcrowded dinghy carrying 165 people across the English Channel.

Start deportation proceedings now so he can be deported directly from prison.

He won't be deported once the Human Rights barristor has a word with him, and he won't serve two years.

8 minutes ago, BarraMarra said:

He won't be deported once the Human Rights barristor has a word with him, and he won't serve two years.

In practice, typical migrant-pilots* receive prison terms ranging from 18 months to 2.5 years upon pleading guilty, and they are nearly always arrested, as they are filmed and photographed piloting the boat .......so they are bang too rights gov.

If they are from a 'safe' country they are immediately deported after sentencing (max is five years).......but if from the likes of Afghanistan.....well!!!

• They are not smugglers per se, but are offered free passage, induced, threatened.......basically conned.