UK jails teen asylum seeker for steering overcrowded Channel migrant boat
The boat lacked safety gear and took on water before interception by UK Border Force, authorities say.
A 19-year-old Sudanese teenager, Chan Mathok Atak, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for piloting a dinghy carrying 165 migrants across the English Channel to the UK. At Canterbury Crown Court, Atak pleaded guilty to endangering others during the July 23 sea crossing. Prosecutors claimed the so-called "mega dinghy" created a risk of death or serious personal injury to those on board.
Judge Sarah Counsell stated that the severity of the offence warranted an immediate custodial sentence. The boat, measuring 12.8ft by 46.9ft, was carrying 31 children, with the youngest being 14 years old. The defendants were using two outboard engines, but one was not functioning. Upon completing his sentence, Atak faces the possibility of automatic deportation as a foreign national.
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