Chan Mathok Atak Pleads Guilty Over Channel Boat with 165 Migrants
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Teenager Piloted Dinghy Carrying 165 Migrants Across Channel
By Simon Jones at Canterbury Crown Court and Tanya Gupta, South East
A teenager, Chan Mathok Atak, aged 19, originally from South Sudan, has pleaded guilty to endangering others during a sea crossing involving a dinghy carrying a record 165 migrants across the English Channel.
Rescuers were astonished to witness such a large number of people packed onto a boat approximately the length of a bus, as it began deflating in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Prosecutors alleged that Atak created a significant risk of death or serious personal injury to those on board during the 23 July crossing. Endangering others at sea is a new offence designed to target those who steer small boats across the Channel.
At the time, this particular dinghy set a record for the largest number of people transported in one boat since dinghy arrivals began along the south coast. This record was subsequently broken by a "mega dinghy" that reached the UK with 230 people on board earlier this month.
Atak is due to be sentenced on 11 September.
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