An Egyptian man who took a photo of himself steering a refugee boat crossing the English Channel was sentenced to three years and two months in prison by a British court on Friday and found him guilty of aiding illegal immigration.
Reda Hamoud Abdurabou, 25, who was on trial at Salisbury Court, southern England, was arrested upon his arrival in the United Kingdom after illegally crossing the English Channel in July 2022.
Selfies showing him piloting the dinghy were found on his phone, which was confiscated by British authorities.
This man “took over a small, dangerously overloaded boat in which there were around fifty migrants,” the Interior Ministry wrote in a press release.
“The photos were taken shortly before the dinghy was intercepted by border forces and show (Reda Hamoud) Abdurabou posing with his hand on the tiller as he steers the boat towards the United Kingdom,” the ministry added.
“Putting lives at risk by ferrying men, women and children across the Channel in rubber dinghies will not be tolerated and we will continue to work tirelessly to end these completely unnecessary crossings and ensure those responsible are behind bars come,” commented Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.
Reda Hamoud Abdurabou was convicted of aiding and abetting illegal immigration to the UK and attempting to enter the country illegally.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has prioritized the fight against illegal immigration and vowed to stop Channel crossings, which have surged in recent years.
More than 20,000 migrants will arrive on England’s shores in 2023.
The government has taken several controversial measures, including banning people who arrived illegally from applying for asylum. He also wants to send migrants to Rwanda wherever they come from, a project blocked by the courts.
Despite these measures, the number of asylum seekers awaiting a decision in the UK reached a new record at the end of June (more than 175,000) as the system was unable to accommodate the arrivals.