Home / Crime and Justice / Teen Pilot Admits Channel Crossing Endangerment
Teen Pilot Admits Channel Crossing Endangerment
24 Aug
Summary
- A 19-year-old pleaded guilty to endangering migrants on a record-setting dinghy.
- The dinghy carried 165 people across the English Channel in July.
- The pilot faces sentencing for creating a risk of death or serious injury.
A 19-year-old from South Sudan has pleaded guilty to endangering others during a perilous English Channel crossing. Chan Mathok Atak admitted the offense at Canterbury Crown Court concerning an incident on July 23. He piloted a dinghy carrying a then-record 165 migrants, a number that astonished rescuers.
Rescuers were alarmed by the volume of people on the dinghy, which was reportedly the length of a bus. The vessel began deflating in a busy shipping lane, posing a severe risk to all aboard. Prosecutors stated Atak created a risk of death or serious personal injury.
Endangerment at sea is a new offense designed to prosecute individuals accused of steering small boats across the Channel. Although this crossing set a record for single-boat migrant numbers, that figure has since been surpassed. Atak is scheduled for sentencing on September 11.
