# UK jails 19-year-old asylum seeker for steering overcrowded Channel boat

https://mins.news/en/item/65189

- Al Jazeera, 2026-09-19 04:57 UTC
- Society
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/19/uk-jails-teen-asylum-seeker-for-steering-overcrowded-channel-migrant-boat?traffic_source=rss

> A 19-year-old asylum seeker from South Sudan has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for steering an overcrowded dinghy carrying 165 people across the English Channel. Prosecutors said the boat lacked safety equipment, had one working engine and was taking on water before UK Border Force intercepted it.

## Related coverage

- [South Sudanese migrant jailed in UK over record Channel boat crossing](https://mins.news/en/item/64325) — Reuters, 2026-09-18