Two Men Jailed for Piloting Migrant Boats Across English Channel
A Sudanese national received a 27-month sentence and an Afghan national received a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to steering overcrowded small boats. The sentences mark the first under a new law that criminalizes endangering lives at sea.
bbc.co.ukA Sudanese national and an Afghan national became the first people sentenced under a new law that makes piloting small boats across the English Channel a crime when lives are endangered. Drone footage shown in court showed passengers clinging to the sides without life jackets.
A French rescue vessel later threw additional life jackets to those on board. The Afghan national, 32, admitted piloting a separate vessel on 17 January during foggy conditions. Several passengers also lacked life jackets. The court heard that he released the tiller upon rescue, causing the boat to spin.
Both men were sentenced on Wednesday at Canterbury Crown Court.
The Afghan national received two years. Prosecutors said neither man organized the crossings or profited from them. The Afghan national's barrister said his client witnessed his father and brother killed by Taliban gunmen ten years ago before fleeing through Greece and France.
The sentencing judge said both men had arguable grounds for asylum claims but noted that decisions on their status rest with immigration authorities. The judge also criticized the Sentencing Council for not issuing guidelines for the new offense.
More than 9,000 people have crossed so far in 2026. A prosecutor said more convictions are expected over the summer months as demand for crossings rises. Ten people are known to have died or gone missing attempting the crossing in 2026, according to United Nations figures.
