Afghan migrant jailed for piloting Channel dinghy carrying 95 people
An Afghan national who piloted a dinghy in the Channel carrying 95 other migrants has been jailed for two years.
Omar Heidari, 34, was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday for endangering others at sea during a Channel crossing on June 23.
According to the Home Office, Heidari endangered the largest number of lives of any pilot so far sentenced for the crime.
At the same court on Friday, Sudanese national Manas Yuk was also sentenced for endangering others during a crossing on June 21.
The 18-year-old was sentenced to 18 months in youth detention.
Yuk piloted a boat carrying 81 others on board, where some were not wearing life jackets and the boat was “severely overcrowded.”
When Border Security Command approached the boat, Yuk took off his jacket and attempted to hide his identity but was arrested after being identified using aerial footage, the Home Office said.
The Crown Prosecution Service added the dinghy had 13 children on board.
The latest sentences bring the number of people jailed under the new offense to 10, according to authorities.
Endangering others during a journey by sea to the UK is an offense that came into force in January as part of new border security legislation.
Under the offense, those who endanger or risk another life at sea could face up to five years in prison, or up to six years if they are in breach of a deportation order.
Two people became the first to be sentenced under the new law at the same court less than two months ago on June 10.
Home Office minister Anna Turley said: “Two more small boat pilots have been sentenced in a single day. That means 10 pilots locked behind bars under the new endangerment offense in less than two months.
“If you risk the lives of others by bringing illegal migrants to British shores on dangerous small boats, you will face justice.”
Kris Venkatasami, of the CPS, added that the men pleaded guilty, which shows the “quality of evidence gathered.”
“Those sentenced to more than a year in prison face being deported and if they make an asylum application, their conviction will be taken into account.
“The new endangerment law is clearly working and there are more cases going through the courts, so the public can expect to see more convictions for those who recklessly endanger the lives of others.”
The court proceedings come a day after four migrants died while trying to reach the UK on Thursday.
Three people were found dead on a boat off the coast of Dunkirk on Thursday, the French coastguard said, and a fourth is thought to have drowned in a separate incident near Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The deaths follow the busiest day for Channel crossings this year.
On Wednesday, 752 migrants arrived in the UK after making the journey in nine boats, according to Home Office figures.
Politics Editor
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