Two men have become the first to be sentenced under a new law criminalising the endangerment of others during small boat crossings of the English Channel. Mohammad Tajik, 32, an Afghan national, and Alnour Ali, 26, from Sudan, were jailed at Canterbury Crown Court for two years and 27 months, respectively.
The offence, introduced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, targets those who steer vessels on dangerous journeys from France, Belgium or the Netherlands to the UK. The law carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, or up to six years if the offender is in breach of a deportation order.
Tajik pleaded guilty on 21 April after abandoning an overcrowded dinghy he was steering across the Channel on 17 January when a rescue ship arrived. The Crown Prosecution Service said the boat lacked lifejackets for all passengers and was crossing in poor weather conditions. Ali admitted the charge on 9 April in connection with an incident on the same day, when two men and two women drowned while trying to board a dinghy near Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
Sentencing, Judge James noted the inherent dangers of navigating one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in vessels never designed for such journeys. He said the risk of death or serious injury was significantly increased when boats had no navigational aids, were overcrowded, and lacked safety equipment. Regarding Ali, the judge stated there was no suggestion he should be held accountable for the tragic deaths, but footage showed people packed into every inch of space, and it was 'down to luck and good fortune' that they were rescued before serious harm.
Emma Brown, a National Crime Agency branch operations manager, said after the convictions: '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 judge confirmed that the Home Office would independently decide whether the men should be allowed to remain in the UK. As both sentences exceed 12 months, they will be automatically considered for deportation.
