Eritrean pilot jailed for 18 months after ferrying 27 people across the Channel

An Eritrean man has been jailed for 18 months after piloting an overcrowded small boat carrying 27 people, including six children, across the English Channel.

Jemal Abdela, 32, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK without valid entry clearance. The crossing took place on 25 July.

The Home Office said Abdela is the 20th small boat pilot imprisoned in four months for endangering lives at sea. Sentences imposed under the offence now total nearly 40 years.

Prosecutors told the court that Abdela was seen steering a large black inflatable that was being followed by French authorities. On board were 15 men, six women and six children. The vessel had no flares, GPS or maps. When immigration officers approached, Abdela dived into the centre of the boat and moved to another position while wearing a hat, in an attempt to conceal that he had been at the helm.

Abdela told police he had paid 800 euros, about £680, for the crossing, which began at 5pm the previous day. He claimed he had been sitting beside the captain and was later made to take control by other passengers.

In mitigation, the court heard that Abdela had travelled through Italy and France, which he described as unsafe for refugees, and had come to regard the UK as the safest option.

Sentencing him, Judge James Bromige said Abdela would ordinarily be deported after completing his prison term.

Anna Turley, the minister for border security and asylum, said the case showed that pilots who put lives at risk on flimsy, overcrowded dinghies were being brought before the courts. She said the combined jail terms under the legislation now amounted to nearly 40 years.