The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The BBC has reported that an Afghan
man has been sentenced to two years in prison in the United Kingdom after
admitting to endangering the lives of dozens of migrants by steering an
overcrowded small boat across the English Channel.
Basir Ramatullah, 21, was sentenced by Canterbury Crown
Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to endangering others during the sea
crossing.
According to the BBC, Ramatullah was traveling with 53 other
migrants aboard an overcrowded inflatable boat. Prosecutor Ben Wild told the
court that surveillance footage showed Ramatullah had been steering the vessel
for more than two hours.
Ramatullah’s lawyer, Kiera Vinill, told the court that he
had fled the Taliban in Afghanistan and made the journey in the hope of finding
a better life. She said he had spent all of his savings on the crossing and
intends to apply for asylum in the United Kingdom.
The defense argued that Ramatullah did not voluntarily take
control of the boat. According to Vinill, the human smuggler piloting the
vessel jumped off, while another trafficker abandoned the controls, leaving
Ramatullah to steer because no one else was willing to do so.
While sentencing him, Judge Edmund Fowler said the
inflatable boat was overloaded and that at least one passenger was not wearing
a life jacket. The judge also noted that Ramatullah moved away from the engine
and sat on the floor as a UK Border Force vessel approached.
The court heard that Ramatullah had no previous criminal
convictions or immigration history in the United Kingdom.
The BBC reported that the offense of endangering others
during a sea journey to the UK came into force in January 2026 under new border
security legislation.
Steve Blackwell of UK Immigration Enforcement said the new
offense has become an important legal tool for prosecuting those involved in
dangerous small-boat crossings.
According to the Migration Observatory at the University of
Oxford, 162 people died while attempting to cross the English Channel between
2018 and 2025.