- An Afghan man, Basir Ramatullah, has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to endangering others while steering an overcrowded dinghy across the English Channel.
- Ramatullah, also known as Baseer Ahmad, was observed by surveillance imagery controlling the vessel for over two hours with 53 other migrants on board before Border Force intercepted it.
- The 21-year-old was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court, where Judge Edmund Fowler noted the rib was overloaded and at least one person lacked a personal flotation device.
- His defence argued that Ramatullah, who was fleeing the Taliban, took control of the boat only after a human trafficker abandoned it and another person gave up steering, having spent his life savings on the crossing.
- This conviction highlights the application of new border security legislation, introduced in January, which criminalises endangering others during sea journeys to the UK.
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