Teenager jailed after piloting record overcrowded Channel crossing

A 19 year old man has been jailed for piloting a severely overcrowded boat carrying 165 people across the English Channel.

Chan Atak was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment at Canterbury Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty on 24 August to endangering lives at sea.

The National Crime Agency opened an investigation after the 14.3 metre vessel collected men, women and children along the French coastline on 23 July this year and set course for Dover. Only one of its two outboard engines worked. The number of people on board was a record at the time.

A Border Force command vessel intercepted the boat and towed it to Dover Western Jet Foil. Those on board were transferred to safety.

Investigators reviewed footage of the crossing. It showed a man in a blue padded Italia coat and shorts with his hand on the tiller for a prolonged period. No one else was seen taking over. Shortly before the rescue he switched off the engine and moved into the middle of the boat. Seconds later he reappeared without the jacket, wearing a white t shirt. That man was identified as Atak. He was arrested and later charged by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The vessel had been at sea for almost 24 hours. Food, drinking water and medical supplies were limited. Lifejackets were completely inadequate for the conditions. Investigators also noted a considerable fire risk because batteries sat close to fuel cans.

NCA senior investigating officer John Turner said Atak was unimaginably reckless. His actions could easily have caused many deaths had the boat not been intercepted. He placed 165 lives in severe peril on a flimsy vessel entirely unsuitable for one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Combating organised immigration crime remains one of the agency’s biggest priorities, with more than 100 investigations currently under way.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum Anna Turley said the sentence rightly puts this criminal behind bars. He joins 16 other pilots sentenced in just three months for endangering lives in flimsy, overcrowded dinghies. The case underlines the ruthless methods used by smuggling gangs to exploit desperate people for profit. Arrests for immigration crime have surged and small boat arrivals over the summer were the lowest since 2020.

Crown Prosecution Service senior district prosecutor Andrew Stephens said Atak took control of the boat and put 165 people, including children, at risk. The journey lasted more than 23 hours on an overcrowded, poor quality inflatable that lacked basic safety equipment. Occupants were cold, wet and crowded together. Atak had no experience of piloting a boat. The vessel was poorly inflated, missing safety ropes, and the lifejackets were ill suited to the conditions. Anyone sentenced to more than a year in prison faces deportation. Any later asylum application will take the conviction into account.

The National Crime Agency says it is putting more resource than ever into targeting the networks behind organised immigration crime. That work is producing more seizures, arrests and disruptions.

By A.Ikechukwu