Chan Mathok Atak, a 19-year-old from South Sudan, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday for his role in piloting a boat with 165 migrants across the English Channel. The vessel, described as a "mega dinghy," measured approximately 13 meters in length and was comparable to a standard bus. It had two outboard engines, but one was not functioning, and tubing on the boat had started to deflate during the journey.
The boat, which set a record for the largest number of migrants to reach the UK on a single boat at the time, made the journey on July 23. Thirty-one children were among the people on board, with the youngest aged just 14. Aerial footage showed one person "constantly pumping" to try to re-inflate the rigid-hulled inflatable boat. Atak was also picked up on aerial footage operating the boat for 90 minutes wearing a black jacket with an "Italia" logo.
However, he then crouched down among other passengers and took off his jacket "to avoid detection as the helmsman," prosecutor James Harrison said. Atak pleaded guilty to the single offence in August at the same 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. Judge Sarah Counsell said that Atak played an "important role" in controlling and navigating the vessel.
The judge noted that crossings of this nature are inherently dangerous and that small inflatable vessels of the type commonly used for these crossings are not designed for offshore sea voyages. She added that those who choose to steer such vessels assume responsibility for the safety of those on board. The court heard that 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."
However, Judge Counsell also noted that there was no evidence that Atak organised the crossing or that he stood to make money from it. The court heard that Atak had told police officers he paid €200 to a gang for the crossing. Barrister Audrey Mogan, for the defence, urged the court to take into account Atak's young age and said he had "escaped the horrors of South Sudan."
Atak's defence team told the court that he had seen militia set fire to a neighbourhood, people shot and their throats slashed in his home country. He escaped from there to Libya, where the situation for young asylum seekers is "dire," and he was beaten and particularly focused on because of his Christianity, Ms Mogan said. "It's from there he escaped to Italy and then to France," she added.
Atak's barrister told the judge that "he wants me to tell this to your honour, he came here to seek sanctuary." The court took into account Atak's difficult past and his young age when determining his sentence.
Key points
- - Chan Mathok Atak, 19, from South Sudan, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison. - The vessel, described as a "mega dinghy," carried a record 165 migrants, including 31 children. - Atak played a significant role in navigating the vessel, but there was no evidence he organised the crossing or profited from it.
