Small boat pilots first to be sentenced for endangering others in Channel

Two small-boat pilots, Afghan Tajik Mohammad and Sudanese Alnour Ali, face sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court for a new offence of endangering others during a Channel crossing, effective since January. Each could receive up to five years in prison for endangering lives at sea, or up to six years if a deportation order is breached. Mohammad was the first to be convicted under the law, pleading guilty on April 21 after abandoning a crowded dinghy as a rescue ship arrived on January 17. Ali admitted the charge on April 9; two people drowned during the Equihen-Plage crossing near Boulogne-sur-Mer. The case underscores that the offence covers journeys from France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.