UK court convicts pilot of small boat that brought 165 illegals from France

A South Sudanese man was jailed for two years and three months in an English court on Friday after he admitted piloting a small boat across the channel from France, which carried a then-record 165 people.

Chan Mathok Atak, 19, previously pleaded guilty to endangering another during a July crossing to Britain in an inflatable dinghy.

The record for most illegal migrants travelling to Britain across the Channel by small boat was broken again last month, when 230 people made the journey.

Atak's sentencing comes as the numbers of those arriving in Britain across the channel have fallen, but the crossings remain a prominent political issue which successive British governments have struggled to tackle.

Earlier this month, hundreds of black-clad protesters gathered twice in two days on Britain's south coast, blocking streets in response to arrivals of small boats, which a government minister described as "thuggish".

Opposition parties and anti-migration activists have called for more action, but greater cooperation with French authorities and even repeated deaths have not deterred many people from seeking to make the perilous journey.