Teenager jailed for piloting record Channel crossing dinghy

A 19-year-old South Sudanese asylum seeker has been jailed for two years and three months for piloting a record-breaking, overcrowded dinghy across the English Channel. Chan Atak was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, September 18, 2026, after pleading guilty to a single charge of endangering others during the crossing on July 23. The court heard that the 14-metre rigid-hulled inflatable boat carried 165 people, including 31 children, the youngest aged 14. This was a record high number of passengers on a single vessel for a Channel crossing. Prosecutors stated the journey from Calais to UK waters lasted nearly 24 hours. Aerial footage presented to the court showed Atak steering one of the boat's two outboard engines for approximately 90 minutes. He was wearing a black jacket with an "Italia" logo. The footage then captured him crouching down among other passengers and removing the jacket to avoid detection as the helmsman, according to prosecutor James Harrison. The court was told the dinghy was in a dangerous condition. One of the two engines was not functioning, and the boat's tubing had started to deflate, requiring one person to constantly pump to reinflate it.