‘165 lives at risk’ — 19-year-old jailed for piloting overcrowded channel boat

A 19-year-old man, Chan Atak, has been jailed for two years and three months after taking control of a boat carrying 165 migrants across the English Channel.

Atak was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, September 18, after pleading guilty to endangering lives at sea.

The National Crime Agency, NCA, said the boat picked up men, women and children along the French coastline on July 23 before heading towards Dover.

Investigators found footage showing Atak with his hand on the vessel’s tiller for a prolonged period during the crossing, with no other person seen taking control.

The 14.3-metre vessel was severely overcrowded and had two outboard engines, only one of which was working.

It was eventually intercepted by a Border Force Command vessel and towed to Dover.

The NCA said the boat had been at sea for almost 24 hours with limited food, drinking water and medical supplies.

The agency also found that the lifejackets were inadequate, while the proximity of batteries to fuel cans created a fire risk.

“Chan Atak was unimaginably reckless and his actions could have easily resulted in many deaths had this boat not been intercepted,” Turner said.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the journey lasted more than 23 hours and that the occupants were cold, wet and crowded on the vessel.

Prosecutor Andrew Stephens said Atak had no experience piloting a boat and that the vessel was poorly inflated, missing safety ropes and fitted with lifejackets unsuitable for the conditions.