A Sudanese man was identified as the pilot of an overcrowded migrant dinghy by the Christmas jumper he was wearing.
The boat driven by Bol Chuol, 27, was intercepted off the coast of Kent while attempting to cross the English Channel on March 22 with 71 people on board including an 11-month-old toddler.
People’s feet were dangling in the water because it was so overcrowded during the drive through one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Not everyone was wearing a lifejacket, the boat was taking on water and there were no lights to make it visible, prosecutors said.
As the dinghy got closer to the British coast, Chuol was filmed by drones throwing his coat into the sea and moving down the boat to avoid detection as the pilot.
But he was later identified by immigration enforcement from the Christmas jumper he was filmed wearing.
Chuol was jailed for two years at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to endangering the lives of others by piloting small boats, the CPS said.
Charun Magok, 19, was jailed at the same court for 16 months after he piloted a boat on March 20 designed for five people but with six on board.
He later told immigration officials he had no experience piloting boats and agreed it was dangerous to cross the Channel, the CPS said.
Endangering others during a journey by sea to the UK is an offence that came into force in January as part of new border security legislation.
Prosecutor Andrew Stephens said: “The inflatable boats piloted by Bol Chuol and Charun Magok were dangerously unsuitable for crossing the Channel.
“It is just luck that no-one was seriously injured or died.
“Between them they put the lives of 75 people, including children and an 11-month-old, at risk in flimsy vessels with no proper safety equipment.
“Those sentenced to more than a year in prison, like Chuol and Magok, face being deported and if they make an asylum application their conviction will be taken into account.”
Minister for border security and asylum Alex Norris said: “With five small boat pilots jailed under this new endangerment offence in just over a month, we are sending a clear message to the criminal gangs.
“Those risking lives and bringing illegal migrants to our shores will end up behind bars.
“We are delivering record-breaking disruption activity against these criminal networks, with arrests, convictions and seizures up 50% since this Government took office.”
