An Egyptian man has been jailed for one year after attempting to smuggle 173 small boat migrants into Britain on the “mega-dinghy” that burst into flames in the English Channel.
The 25-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced following a fast-track trial held on Friday.
He appeared in court after eleven small boat migrants suffered burns in the blaze in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Boulogne Criminal Court heard the Egyptian was “piloting a boat” which contained 173 people, including 50 women and children.
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He was quickly found guilty of “facilitating the illegal entry, movement, or stay of foreign nationals in France” by “coordinating and piloting the departure on an inflatable boat”.
The Egyptian people smuggler could have faced up to five years in prison and received a fine of around £26,000.
However, the 25-year-old will now face deportation after serving his one-year prison sentence.
He denied any wrongdoing and instead argued he was a legitimate asylum seeker who wanted to settle in the UK.
More than 160 small boat migrants have died in the English Channel since asylum seekers started embarking on the perilous 21-mile journey in 2018, including 73 in 2024 alone.
However, this week’s incident in the English Channel saw the vessel depart Normandy late on Monday night.
It is thought that a fuel leak from the outboard motor caused the blaze, sparking an Anglo-French rescue operation.
Border Force command vessel Contender picked up 54 people who had been on the so-called mega-dinghy.
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Meanwhile, French boats Argonaute and Minck rescued 30 and 73 migrants.
However, investigators found that those rescued did not want to remain in France.
“There were fifty women and children on the boat, and they all declined emergency accommodation,” a source said.
“All want to get to Britain as quickly as possible.”
Following the incident, a Home Office spokesman said: “The Border Security Command was alerted to an incident in the Channel concerning a migrant small boat in distress in French waters.
“British vessels supported a French search and rescue operation.
“This is a live rescue operation but at this stage there have been no fatalities reported. Those on board will be safely returned to France.
“This incident underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings.
“We continue to work relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys.”
However, small boat migrants have not been dissuaded from crossing the Channel following Tuesday’s incident.
GB News can reveal hundreds of migrants have crossed the Channel despite windy conditions today.
The People’s Channel estimates more than 250 made the journey on just four boats.
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