Afghan man becomes first person convicted of endangering migrants during Channel crossing

George Bunn
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:13:14 +0000

An Afghan migrant has become the first person to be convicted of endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK.

Tajik Mohammad abandoned the dinghy he was driving across the English Channel and its passengers when a rescue ship arrived.

The boat was overcrowded and some passengers were not wearing life jackets during the attempted crossing in poor weather conditions on January 17.

Mohammad then travelled on to the UK the same day before being arrested.

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Earlier today, he pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on June 10.

A 16-year-old boy was the first person to be charged with the offence.

The teenager, who is also an Afghan national and cannot be named due to his age, has denied endangering 46 people on January 5, telling a court hearing he was "forced to do so".

Those who commit the offence could face up to five years in prison, or up to six years if they are in breach of a deportation order.

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Senior CPS prosecutor James Fisher said: "I’m pleased the CPS has secured the first conviction for endangering the lives of others during a Channel crossing since it became an offence in January.

"We will carry on using new laws to prosecute individuals and gangs who undermine UK border security.

"The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and we argued Tajik Mohammad abandoned the tiller on the arrival of the rescue ship.

"That, along with the boat being overcrowded, some passengers not wearing life jackets, the weather conditions that day, and that small boats are shoddily made, meant he was endangering the lives of others, which he’s accepted."

Those who commit the offence could face up to five years in prison, or up to six years if they are in breach of a deportation order.

Earlier this month, another alleged dinghy pilot appeared in court over the deaths of four migrants.

Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali, 27, appeared before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court charged with endangering life, after two men and two women died trying to board a boat on April 9.

Some 6,000 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel by inflatable dinghy so far this year.