Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondent, at Canterbury Crown Court

The new crime of endangering someone at sea is a really important element of the government’s plan to counter small boat crossings - since it came into force in April, some 15 people have already been charged with the offence which can lead to up to six years in jail.

The starting point for suspecting someone of committing the crime is when they begin a journey to the UK from France, Belgium or The Netherlands knowing they didn’t have permission to do so.

They commit the crime if they cause or create a risk of death or serious injury to others even if they did not intend to do so.

Finally the law requires the suspect to have actually done something to endanger another.

The most obvious example would be taking the tiller of a dinghy and ploughing on into dangerous seas when it is obvious the boat is not safe.

In these first cases, Taijk's act was to let go of the steering when he saw a rescue boat coming. That left the dinghy out of control - endangering all onboard.

Sean Seddon
Reporting from Canterbury Crown Court

We're expecting things to get under way at Canterbury Crown Court shortly after 10:00 BST.

Both Alnour Mohamed Ali and Tajik Mohammad will be sentenced in the same court during separate hearings.

Tajik Mohammad, 32, an Afghan migrant, was the first person to be convicted of the new offence after piloting a small boat on 17 January this year - he abandoned the dinghy when a rescue ship arrived, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Separately, Alnour Mohamed Ali, 27, a Sudanese national, was charged with endangering life after two men and two women died while trying to board a small boat he was piloting in France on 9 April.

They have both admitted the offences they are charged with, so today we will find out what sentence they will receive.

The two men will become the first people to be sentenced under a new law designed to target people accused of being in charge of dangerous small boat crossings.

We'll bring you updates live from court - stay with us.

The endangering others during a sea journey offence carries a maximum sentence of either:

• five years imprisonment or a fine - or both
• six years imprisonment or fine, or both, can apply to individuals who knowingly entered the UK in breach of a deportation order as part of committing the offence

Both Mohammad and Ali have pleaded guilty to breaking the law and will be sentenced this morning.

Image source, PA Media

Between 1 January and 3 June 2026, a total of 9,142 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 38% on the same period the previous year.

These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.

Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.

Small boat arrivals made up 42% of asylum applications between April 2025 to March 2026.

Boats that arrived in the UK from 4 June 2025 to 3 June 2026 carried an average of 65 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.

Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).

The government has pledged to "smash the gangs" behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 introduced a new criminal offence of endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK from France, Belgium or the Netherlands.

This offence came into force in January and is aimed at preventing unsafe small boat crossings.

The government says it has been introduced to "address acts that cause or risk the serious personal injury or death of another during small boat crossings to the UK, and in turn to reduce the risk of injury and fatality during these crossings".

For the offence to apply, three things must all have happened:

• The person must have arrived in the UK via a journey by water from France, Belgium or the Netherlands
• They must have knowingly entered the UK in breach of a deportation order, or without leave or valid entry clearance, if either were required by immigration law
• At any point during the journey they must have committed an act that caused, or created a risk of, death or serious injury to another person, which includes both physical and psychological injuries

It's expected that this journey would usually be in a small boat, but it's the journey by water that matters not the mode of transport or number of boats used.

If the boat is intercepted before reaching the UK, the offence still applies if it is brought to UK shores - but not if it is returned to the country it departed from, even if a dangerous act occurs.

Tajik Mohammad was the first person to be convicted of the new offence after piloting an overcrowded dinghy across the English Channel in poor weather conditions on 17 January this year.

Some of the passengers were not wearing life jackets.

The 32-year-old Afghan pleaded guilty to breaking the law at Canterbury Crown Court in April.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Mohammad abandoned the dinghy and its passengers when a rescue ship arrived.

He reached the UK later the same day, where he was arrested. The Home Office has not provided an image of Mohammad.

He will be sentenced today.

Image source, National Crime Agency

Alnour Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese national, was charged with endangering life after two men and two women died while trying to board a small boat he was piloting in France on 9 April.

The 27-year-old, who admitted to having piloted the vessel, appeared at Canterbury Crown Court in April.

The four people drowned after being swept away by strong currents at Equihen-Plage, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, in France.

More than 40 people were rescued off the coast of northern France from around 07:30 local time that morning.

Two children were among those taken to hospital as a precaution, while another person was treated for hypothermia.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said previously that 74 people "sailed on to the UK".

Aided by an Arabic interpreter, Ali pleaded guilty to piloting a boat which "thereby created a risk of death or serious personal injury to others aboard the boat".

He also admitted knowing he would arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance.

He will be sentenced today.

Two men will today become the first to be sentenced under a new law aimed at reducing small boat crossings.

Tajik Mohammad, 32, an Afghan migrant and Alnour Mohamed Ali, 27, a Sudanese national, were convicted separately of the same crime: endangering others during a journey by sea.

They both pleaded guilty - Mohammad was the first person to be convicted of the law, which came into force in January 2026.

Both men will appear in Canterbury Crown Court from 10:00 BST for sentencing.

Those who commit the offence could face up to five years in prison, or up to six years if they are in breach of a deportation order.

We'll take you through each of the cases shortly, and our team of writers are in Canterbury Crown court to bring us the latest developments.