Small boat 'pilot' jailed for steering overcrowded boat across English Channel
Choul Phan Maker, 31, has been jailed
A South Sudanese migrant has been jailed for piloting a dangerously overcrowded small boat, as it made its way across the English Channel.
Choul Phan Maker, 31, was caught steering the flimsy vessel, which was packed with 52 other migrants, many of whom were forced to sit on makeshift flooring.
The Home Office has released a series of images taken by Border Force, after he was photographed grinning with his hand on the tiller, as he steered the boat towards UK shores last August.
Maker had previously been ordered to leave France by officials there, after being caught attempting to enter the UK by lorry.
He then spent more than three years in Europe, before travelling from Malta for another attempt to cross the Channel.
Criminal and Financial Investigation officers identified Maker as the boat’s pilot and started gathering evidence to support his conviction.
Choul Phan Maker, 31, was caught steering the flimsy vessel
He was subsequently arrested and admitted to piloting the boat.
He told Border Force officers he had been offered the job by the criminal gang who facilitated the journey.
At Winchester Crown court, he was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for the unlawful arrival.
He received a further 10 months for assisting unlawful immigration. Both sentences will be served concurrently.
The Home Office has released a series of images taken by Border Force
Choul Phan Maker was photographed grinning with his hand on the tiller
Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson said: "The criminal gangs behind these crossings don’t care if people live or die, as long as they pay, but they rely on migrants who are willing to steer their deadly crossings through the water.
“Putting lives at risk by taking charge of these dangerous, illegal and completely unnecessary crossing attempts will not be tolerated and it is right that this pilot has been brought to justice today.”
This latest conviction follows other recent action against people smugglers.
Last month, a man was as jailed for three years after cramming six Vietnamese and one Syrian migrant inside a van.
That same month, a man was jailed for two years and eight months after attempting to smuggle another group of migrants across the Channel in a dangerously overcrowded yacht.
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.”