World News
Teenager pleads guilty to endangering lives by piloting migrant boat in English Channel
The 19-year-old piloted an overcrowded dinghy carrying 165 migrants, which was a record number for a single crossing at the time.
The short version
- Chan Mathok Atak, 19, pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to the offence of endangerment at sea.
- The charge relates to a July 23 crossing where Atak piloted a dinghy carrying 165 migrants across the English Channel to the UK.
- The prosecution stated that the dangerously overcrowded boat began deflating in a busy shipping lane, risking death or serious injury.
- Atak is scheduled to be sentenced for the offence on September 11.
Key facts
- Chan Mathok Atak, a 19-year-old originally from South Sudan, pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to endangering others during a sea crossing.[BBC News]
- The offence occurred on July 23, during which Atak piloted a dinghy carrying 165 migrants, which set a record at the time for the largest number of people brought to the UK on a single small boat.[BBC News]
- Rescuers noted the dinghy was approximately the length of a bus and began deflating while in a busy shipping lane.[BBC News]
- Endangerment at sea is a newly created offence designed to prosecute individuals who pilot small migrant boats across the Channel.[BBC News]
- Atak's sentencing is set for September 11.[BBC News]
Sources
- Teen pleads guilty over Channel boat with 165 migrantsBBC News - Top Stories