Teenager Jailed for Record Number of Migrants on Overcrowded English Channel Dinghy
A 19-year-old from South Sudan received a two-year sentence for endangering lives at sea.
A teenager from South Sudan has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for operating a super-dinghy that carried a record number of migrants across the English Channel. Chan Atak, 19, was at the helm of a poorly maintained rigid inflatable boat carrying more than 160 people when it entered British waters on July 23.
At his sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court, Her Honour Judge Sarah Counsell stated that those in control of such vessels bear responsibility for the safety of their passengers. She noted that the risks of continuing the journey in an overcrowded and unseaworthy boat without adequate navigation experience would have been apparent.
The court heard that the boat was not seaworthy, with only one of its two outboard engines functioning and the inflatable tubing beginning to deflate. There was a lack of navigation equipment and safety provisions, and the life jackets were described as substandard. The journey, which took approximately 24 hours, included 31 children, the youngest being 14 years old. The passengers were from various African, Middle Eastern, and European countries.
Atak has applied for asylum in the UK, having fled his home country. The judge acknowledged that his circumstances are not uncommon among those seeking asylum via Channel crossings. The English Channel is a busy shipping lane, and small inflatable vessels are not designed for such voyages. Border Force and coastguard efforts aim to minimize risk, but injuries and fatalities can still occur.
Drone footage captured Atak operating the engine for about 90 minutes before cutting power and removing a distinctive jacket as Border Force officials approached. The prosecution suggested this was an attempt to evade detection. In an interview, Atak claimed he paid 200 euros to a smuggling gang but denied steering the boat or discarding his jacket.
Atak's defense stated that while he was piloting the boat, he had no involvement in its seaworthiness or the number of occupants. His legal representation described him as a victim of circumstance, having escaped violence and forced recruitment by a militia in South Sudan, enduring hardship in Libya and Italy before reaching France. He sought sanctuary and safety in the UK.
The 165 migrants on Atak's dinghy represented nearly half of the 366 individuals who made the crossing by small boats that day. More than 17,000 migrants have arrived illegally via the Channel so far this year.
Atak's sentence will likely result in a recommendation for deportation, though legal challenges on human rights grounds may arise due to the ongoing instability and violence in South Sudan.