Third small boat pilot jailed for two years under new law

An Algerian national has been jailed after piloting an overcrowded small boat across the Channel.Azzeddine Ain-Bouzid was jailed for a total of 24 months at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to endangering lives at sea and arriving in the UK without valid entry clearance.The 29-year-old piloted a small boat on April 18 carrying 67 people, including a pregnant woman, from the French coast into UK waters before being intercepted by Border Security Command vessels.The small boat was suitable for only 20 people, with images showing severe overcrowding, with some people having to hang their legs over the side and have their feet in the water. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Ain-Bouzid dropped the boat tiller when one of the vessels came close, causing the boat to lose control, further endangering lives. He was arrested by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers on April 20. Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris told GB News: This government is taking the fight to the smuggling gangs by tracking down and jailing small boat pilots. Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: we will use all available powers to ensure those who bring illegal migrants to our shores face justice.Mr Norris continued: Disruptions to smuggling activity including arrests, convictions and seizures are up by nearly 50 per cent, and we will go even further to dismantle these criminal gangs.Earlier this month, Afghan national Mohammad Tajik, 32, and Ali Alnour, 27, from Sudan were jailed for two years and two years and three months respectively at Canterbury Crown Court.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charged them with endangering the lives of others during separate sea crossings from France. Endangerment became an offence on 5 January and so far 15 migrants are known to have been charged by the CPS.Tajik arrived in the UK in January and Alnour arrived in April. Both men have been in custody since then.The boat piloted by Mohammad Tajik had more than 70 people on board including a toddler and several children. When a Border Force rescue vessel approached, he let go of the tiller leading to the boat drifting around in circles. He later admitted paying 1,500 to a criminal gang for his crossing and knowing that he needed a visa to enter the UK.The vessel piloted by Ali Alnour with 73 other people on board, contained no safety equipment such as a radio, flares, first aid kit, tube repair kit, paddles, lights, or navigation aids. He initially denied that the man in a pink beanie filmed piloting the boat was him but later admitted his guilt. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter