Chan Mathok Atak Jailed for Piloting Migrant Boat Across English Channel with 165
A 19-year-old, Chan Mathok Atak, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison after piloting a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying 165 individuals across the English Channel. The vessel, intercepted off the Kent coast in August 2023, contained passengers, including 34 women and 50 children. Atak, who claimed to be 17 at the time of the incident, was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court.
The court heard that Atak, a Sudanese national, had received a GPS device and instructions to steer the boat, which had departed from a beach in northern France. Upon interception by Border Force officials, Atak was observed at the vessel's helm. His claims of being a minor were dismissed after medical assessments, including wrist X-rays, indicated he was likely over 18. The prosecution highlighted that Atak was an adult at the time of the offence.
This conviction underscores the continued legal offensive against those facilitating irregular migration to the UK. While official narratives often frame these operations as humanitarian, the consistent criminalisation of those at the helm of these crossings, regardless of their own precarious circumstances, highlights a broader state strategy aimed at deterrence and border militarisation.
