Teen pleads guilty over Channel boat with 165 migrants

A teenager who piloted a dinghy carrying a then-record 165 migrants across the English Channel to the UK has pleaded guilty to endangering others during a sea crossing.

Chan Mathok Atak, 19, originally from South Sudan, admitted the offence at Canterbury Crown Court in relation to a crossing on 23 July.

Rescuers said they were astonished and alarmed to see the number of people packed onto the dinghy.

It was said to have been about the same length as a bus before it began deflating in the world's busiest shipping lane.

Prosecutors said Atak created a risk of death or serious personal injury to others on board the boat.

Endangerment at sea is a new offence created to target those alleged to have steered small boats over the Channel.

At the time of the crossing, the dinghy set a record for the largest number of people brought over in a single boat since dinghy arrivals began on the south coast in recent years.

The figure has since been surpassed, and earlier this month, a record 230 people reached the UK in a so-called "mega dinghy".

Atak is due to be sentenced on 11 September.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Kent on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.