Two men have been jailed under a new offence of endangering others during a journey at sea, becoming the first to be sentenced under legislation introduced in January. Mohammad Tajik, 32, an Afghan national, and Alnour Ali, 26, from Sudan, were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to two years and 27 months respectively for steering small boats across the English Channel.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 created the offence, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, or six years if in breach of a deportation order. Judge James highlighted the inherent dangers of navigating one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in vessels never designed for such journeys, noting that risks increase significantly when boats are overcrowded, lack navigational aids, and passengers are without adequate safety equipment.
Tajik pleaded guilty on 21 April after abandoning an overcrowded dinghy he was steering on 17 January when a rescue ship arrived. Some passengers were not wearing lifejackets during the crossing in poor weather. Ali admitted the charge on 9 April, relating to an incident on the same day when two men and two women drowned while attempting to board a dinghy at Équihen-Plage, near Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. The judge stated there was no suggestion Ali was accountable for those deaths, but noted footage showed people 'packed into every inch of available space' on his boat, and it was 'down to luck and good fortune' they were rescued before serious harm.
Emma Brown, a National Crime Agency branch operations manager, said: 'Working with colleagues at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible for small-boat crossings. The tragic deaths illustrate again how perilous these crossings are and the callous nature of the criminals organising them.' The Home Office will independently decide whether the men should be deported, as sentences over 12 months trigger automatic consideration for removal.
