A teenager named Atak was caught steering an overcrowded dinghy with 165 people—setting a record—for a dangerous crossing of the English Channel on July 23. Footage showed him operating one engine and then concealing his identity by hiding among passengers after the tubing began to deflate and one engine failed during the perilous journey from Calais to UK waters. Atak pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration but claimed he paid €200 for the crossing himself, fleeing South Sudan due to violence and seeking sanctuary in Europe.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Chan Mathok Atak, a 19-year-old from South Sudan, was jailed for two years and three months at Canterbury Crown Court after admitting to endangering lives during an illegal crossing of the English Channel on July 23. The boat he piloted carried more than 165 migrants, including 31 children aged between 14 and 17, setting a record for the highest number of passengers in a single dinghy crossing at that time.
Despite his lawyer's argument that there was "not a single shred of evidence" linking Atak to the boat’s overcrowding or lack of safety equipment, Judge Sarah Counsell deemed the offense serious enough to warrant immediate imprisonment. The prosecution claimed that Atak controlled the boat for around 90 minutes before hiding among other passengers.
This sentencing is part of the British government's broader crackdown on migration and Channel crossings. It comes amid ongoing investigations into unintercepted migrant boats, such as one incident where a dinghy reached Kent undetected and five people were detained after being alerted by a GB News producer. Conservative MPs have criticized the Home Office for losing control over border security breaches like these.
Written for “Migrant Boat Smuggling Conviction” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
Passengers can be seen with their legs dangling over the side of the black inflated boat wearing “poor quality” life jackets, with pictures showing a glimpse of the “dangerous” journey from Calais over to UK waters.
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legs → see → waters
This was a record high number of passengers on a boat for a Channel crossing when the craft made the journey carrying men, women and 31 children, the youngest aged 14, on July 23.
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youngest → make → July
The court heard the boat’s tubing had started to deflate, one of the two outboard engines was not functioning, and one person was “constantly pumping” to try to re-inflate the rigid-hulled inflatable boat.
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The footage shows Atak steering one of the boat’s engines wearing a black jacket with an “Italia” logo with his hood up.
The court heard video captures the defendant controlling the boat for around 90 minutes.
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defendant → hear → minutes
But then Atak crouched down among other passengers and took off his jacket “to avoid detection as the helmsman”, prosecutor James Harrison said.
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Harrison → crouch → helmsman
He initially told police officers in interview that he did not direct the tiller at any point and denied being the male wearing the Italia jacket.
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he → tell → jacket
But when officers said he was seen discarding the clothing he answered no comment, the court heard.
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court → say → comment
Sentencing him, Judge Sarah Counsell said Atak played an “important role” in controlling and navigating the vessel, and it was not “fleeting or incidental involvement”.
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it → sentence → vessel
“Crossings of this nature are inherently dangerous,” she said.
“Small inflatable vessels of the type commonly used for these crossings are not designed for offshore sea voyages.
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vessels → say → voyages
“Those who choose to steer such vessels assume responsibility for the safety of those on board.”
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who → choose → board
The judge also noted that as well as engine issues, the vessel did not have navigation, emergency signalling equipment or firefighting equipment while fuel containers and batteries were “stored together creating a risk of fire”.
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containers → note → fire
But she added there was no evidence he organised the crossing or that he stood to make money from it.
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he → add → it
The court heard Atak had told police officers he paid 200 euros to a gang for the crossing.
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he → hear → crossing
Atak, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the single offence in August at the same court.
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who → have → court
The teenager, aided by an Arabic interpreter, wore a T-shirt and a large white rosary around his neck at the hearing on Friday.
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teenager → aid → Friday
Defending him, barrister Audrey Mogan urged the court to take into account his young age, having turned 19 the month before the crossing took place.
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crossing → defend → place
Ms Mogan described Atak as someone who has “escaped the horrors of South Sudan”, where he saw militia set fire to a neighbourhood, people shot and their throats slashed.
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throats → describe → neighbourhood
“It’s from there he escaped to Italy and then to France,” she said.
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she → ’ → France
She told the judge: “He wants me to tell this to your honour, he came here to seek sanctuary and safety, that is of course what asylum seekers are doing, to build a new life and to leave the dire circumstances where they come from, seek protection.”
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they → tell → protection
The court heard the sentence for Atak meant as a foreign national he was liable in principle to automatic deportation back to his country.
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he → hear → country
Following the sentencing, Andrew Stephens, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Those sentenced to more than a year in prison face being deported and if they make an asylum application their conviction will be taken into account.”
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conviction → follow → account
He added that in this case passengers in the boat were “cold, wet and crowded into a boat for a journey of more than 23 hours by Chan Atak who had no experience piloting a boat”.
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who → add → boat
NCA senior investigating officer John Turner also said: “Chan Atak was unimaginably reckless and his actions could have easily resulted in many deaths had this boat not been intercepted.”
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boat → investigate → deaths
He added that the agency has more than 100 investigations ongoing.
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investigations → add → ?
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