Azzeddine Ainbouzid put the lives of passengers at risk, including three children and a pregnant woman
Arrest made in endangerment offence after illegal small boat crossing
An Algerian criminal who piloted a small boat packed with 66 migrants across the English Channel has become the third to be jailed for endangering lives. Azzeddine Ainbouzid, 29, was steering passengers, including a pregnant woman and three children, to the UK on a vessel designed for 20 people.
He was sentenced to two years at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday (June 24) after pleading guilty to endangerment and arriving in the UK without entry clearance. An offence since January, endangerment has already put Sudanese nationals, Mohammad Tajik, 32, and Ali Alnour, 27, behind bars.
Andrew Stephens from the Crown Prosecution Service said after Ainbouzid was sentenced: “This boat was poorly built and definitely not suited to crossing one of the busiest sea lanes in the world.”
Azzeddine Ainbouzid, 29, was steering passengers, including a pregnant woman and three children (Image: CPS)
Mr Stephens added: “He put the lives of everyone at risk including children and a pregnant woman when he decided to take his hand off the tiller which made the boat go round in circles.”
The CPS said the boat Ainbouzid was piloting was so overloaded its seaworthiness was “severely restricted”.
It was so full some migrants sat with their feet in the sea and not everyone was wearing life jackets during the perilous crossing on April 18.
Dramatic drone footage released by the CPS shows the vessel speeding across the Channel towards Britain.
When Ainbouzid spotted a Border Force rescue ship approach he took his hands off the tiller, causing the boat to lose control and putting lives in danger.
His facial hair and a logo on a sleeve of his black jacket meant detectives worked out he was piloting the boat.
It was the second time Ainbouzid had entered the UK illegally. He first arrived in 2023 and within the year was convicted for being drunk and disorderly and resisting a police officer. He was given a 12 month conditional discharge.
Ainbouzid also has convictions in France for drug trafficking and aggravated theft (Image: CPS)
Ainbouzid was also convicted in France for drug trafficking and aggravated theft offences. Offences that the UK court was asked by the CPS to take into account when sentencing.
Mr Stephens said: “We made sure the court knew about his previous illegal arrival and criminal conviction to ensure the sentence he got would reflect his offending.
“Those who pilot small boats can expect to be caught and prosecuted. If sentenced to more than a year in prison, they face being deported. If they make an asylum application their conviction will be taken into account.”
Alex Norris, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, said on Wednesday: “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.
“Disruptions to smuggling activity, including arrests, convictions and seizures, are up by nearly 50%, and we will go even further to dismantle these criminal gangs.”
Tajik and Alnour were previously sentenced to two years and two years and three months, respectively, for endangering lives during two separate crossings.