Teenager who piloted overcrowded dinghy with 165 people on board jailed

A 19-year-old asylum seeker, Chan Atak from South Sudan, has been jailed for steering an overcrowded, deflating 14-metre dinghy across the English Channel with 165 people on board on July 23. At Canterbury Crown Court, he received a two-year and three-month sentence for endangering others. The crossing lasted nearly 24 hours and involved men, women and 31 children, the youngest aged 14. Prosecutors said one of the two outboard engines was not working and the boat lacked navigation, emergency signalling and firefighting equipment. Court footage showed Atak pumping and operating the vessel for about 90 minutes, then removing his jacket to avoid being seen as helmsman.