A 31-yr-old South Sudanese man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for transporting over 50 migrants in a “perilously overcrowded dinghy” via the English Channel, reports RTE.
Choul Phan Maker, who made the trip that “endangered” the 52 passengers on board the boat, was found guilty at Winchester Crown Court in England on charges of unlawful entry and assistance with unlawful immigration.
A UK Home Office spokeswoman said: “Choul Phan Maker was caught piloting a vessel packed with 52 endangered passengers, many of whom were forced to stand on makeshift flooring. He was photographed by Border Force officials, grinning, with his hand on the tiller, as he brazenly steered the boat towards UK shores on 15 August last year,” reports RTE.
“Maker, from South Sudan, had previously been ordered to leave France after being caught attempting to enter the UK in a lorry. He then spent more than three years in Europe, before travelling from Malta for his latest attempt to cross the Channel,” reports RTE.
Steve Blackwell, deputy director of Criminal and Financial Investigations at the Home Office, said: “This pilot thought nothing of endangering dozens of lives in order to make his own illegal journey to the UK. I’m thankful for the quick work of my investigating officers, which has led to us bringing this criminal to justice. His sentence shows that anyone caught piloting these dinghies can expect to be arrested and prosecuted,” reports RTE.
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