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2d ago

Teenager Jailed for Steering Overcrowded Channel Dinghy

The 27‑month sentence shows the government is enforcing a new law that targets people who pilot unsafe migrant boats to discourage deadly crossings.

People on a boat used by Chan Mathok Atak, 19, to transport 165 migrants from France to Britain, in this handout picture taken during the crossing of the English Channel on July 23, 2026, as Atak has been sentenced to 27 months in prison at Canterbury Crown Court. National Crime Agency/Handout via REUTERS
People on a boat used by Chan Mathok Atak, 19, to transport 165 migrants from France to Britain, in this handout picture taken during the crossing of the English Channel on July 23, 2026, as Atak has been sentenced to 27 months in prison at Canterbury Crown Court. National Crime Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Image
Chan Mathok Atak, 19, who transported 165 migrants from France to Britain, looks on in this handout picture on July 23, 2026. Atak has been sentenced to 27 months in prison at Canterbury Crown Court. National Crime Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Overview

  • On Friday Sept. 18 a Canterbury Crown Court judge sentenced 19‑year‑old Chan Mathok Atak to 27 months in prison after he admitted endangering others by steering a dinghy that carried 165 people.
  • Prosecutors said the 14‑metre rigid inflatable had no navigation or first‑aid kit, only one working engine, was deflating and was taking on sea water when Border Force intercepted it.
  • Court testimony described Atak steering for about 90 minutes with 31 children on board while defence lawyers said he was a young South Sudanese asylum seeker who did not organise the voyage.
  • The case is one of several prosecutions under a law introduced in January that aims to punish those who pilot boats that put passengers at risk and to deter future crossings; earlier convictions in June brought multi‑year sentences.
  • Authorities say the National Crime Agency is investigating many incidents, the Border Force made the interception, passengers may face long journeys home and a conviction could lead to deportation once the sentence ends, a development that keeps pressure on UK‑France cooperation and local services.