A Sudanese man was identified as the pilot of an overcrowded migrant dinghy by the distinctive Christmas jumper he was wearing.
On March 22, a migrant dinghy driven by Bol Chuol, 27, was intercepted off the coast of Kent while trying to cross the English Channel. The boat was overcrowded, with 71 people on board, including an 11-month-old toddler, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
People's feet were dangling in the sea as the boat was so overcrowded. Not everyone was wearing a lifejacket, and water entered the boat. There were no lights to make it visible, prosecutors said. Chuol was later filmed throwing his coat into the sea and moving down the boat to avoid detection.
Photo: dailymail.com
But he was later identified by immigration enforcement from the Christmas jumper he was filmed wearing. Chuol was jailed for two years at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to endangering the lives of others by piloting small boats, the CPS said.
Charun Magok, 19, was jailed at the same court for 16 months after he piloted a boat on March 20 designed for five people but with six on board. He later told immigration officials he had no experience piloting boats and agreed it was dangerous to cross the Channel.
Photo: dailymail.com
Endangering others during a journey by sea to the UK is an offence that came into force in January as part of new border security legislation. Prosecutor Andrew Stephens said: "The inflatable boats piloted by Bol Chuol and Charun Magok were dangerously unsuitable for crossing the Channel. It is just luck that no-one was seriously injured or died… if they make an asylum application their conviction will be taken into account."
These convictions mark the first cases under the new border security legislation. The English Channel remains a critical route for migrants attempting to reach the UK.
Source: Daily Mail
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