Two Sudanese men have been jailed today after pleading guilty to endangering the lives of others by piloting small boats across the English Channel.

One of them was caught after being identified by the distinctive Christmas jumper he was wearing.  

Bol Chuol, 27, and Charun Magok, 19 admitted their guilt after the prosecution successfully argued against their applications to have the cases thrown out. 

Chuol’s boat was intercepted off the coast of Kent on 22 March with 71 people on board including nine children and an 11-month-old toddler. The prosecution argued that it was massively overcrowded with people’s feet dangling in the water and that by piloting the vessel he had placed them in danger. 

Not everyone was wearing a lifejacket, the boat was taking on water, there were no lights to make the boat visible to larger ships, and it had no GPS devices, charts, first aid equipment or warning flares.

The prosecution said the tiny boat Magok was filmed piloting on 20 March was totally unsuitable for crossing the Channel which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It was designed for five people but had six on board and it was taking on water because it was sitting so low. The smaller boat was similarly unequipped, with no signalling equipment, GPS devices, oars, flares, radios, navigational charts or first aid equipment. 

Magok later told immigration officials that he had no experience piloting vessels and agreed it was dangerous to cross the Channel.

Chuol was jailed for two years, and Magok for 16 months at Canterbury Crown Court.

As the boats got closer to the British coast both men were filmed by drones throwing their coats into the sea and moving down the boats to avoid detection as the pilots.

Chuol was identified from the Christmas jumper he was filmed wearing.

(Footage of Charun Magok and then Bol Chuol throwing their coat into the sea on separate boat crossings - https://youtu.be/qHS0qzOhvxI) 

Above: Charun Magok arriving on 20 March 2026 

Above: Bol Chuol arriving on 22 March 2026
 

Both men were charged by the Crown Prosecution Service following an investigation by Immigration Enforcement. The key evidence against them was footage captured by drones operated by UK Border Force of them piloting the boats. 

At a hearing on Tuesday 14 July, the court rejected both men’s claims that they had merely found themselves in small boats without a pilot and had reluctantly taken on the role. The prosecution argued that both had plenty of opportunity to be rescued by French authorities but chose to continue towards the UK.

Andrew Stephens from the Crown Prosecution Service 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.

“The CPS will continue to work with international partners to bring down the organised crime groups, who are ultimately responsible for these crossings."

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.”