Chan Mathok Atak, a 19-year-old from South Sudan, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison after piloting a dinghy carrying 165 migrants across the English Channel. Atak admitted endangering others during the sea crossing on 23 July.
Prosecutors at Canterbury Crown Court said Atak created a risk of death or serious personal injury to those on board the boat. The vessel, described as 12.8ft (3.9m) wide and 46.9ft (14.3m) long, carried 31 children, the youngest of whom was 14.
Border Force reported that the boat had no navigation aids, flares, or firefighting equipment. Judge Sarah Counsell stated that the offence was so serious that "only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified." She also warned Atak that as a foreign national, he was liable to automatic deportation upon completing his sentence.