Teenager Jailed for Piloting Migrant Boat Across English Channel
A 19-year-old from South Sudan received a two-year, three-month sentence for endangering 165 migrants during a perilous sea crossing.
A teenager who piloted a boat carrying a then-record 165 migrants across the English Channel to the United Kingdom has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison. Chan Mathok Atak, 19, from South Sudan, pleaded guilty to endangering others during the sea crossing on July 23.
Prosecutors stated that Atak created a risk of death or serious personal injury to those on board the vessel. At the time, the dinghy, described as a "mega dinghy," set a record for the largest number of migrants transported in a small boat in recent years. This number has since been surpassed, with 230 people found on a vessel in August.
Judge Sarah Counsell at Canterbury Crown Court deemed the offense serious enough to warrant an immediate custodial sentence. The judge also warned Atak that, as a foreign national, he is liable for automatic deportation upon completion of his sentence.
The court heard that the boat Atak was piloting measured approximately 12.8 feet wide and 46.9 feet long. It had traveled between Calais and the UK and was found to be deflating when border force vessels intercepted it. The dinghy carried 31 children, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. The vessel was equipped with two outboard engines, but one was not functioning, according to court testimony.