Wiltshire court jails man who piloted migrant boat to Britain

Egyptian national Reda Hamoud Abdurabou, 25, 'gloated' as he took charge of a dangerously overcrowded small boat during an attempt to reach the UK illegally in July 2022, a Wiltshire court heard.

On Friday, Abdurabou was jailed for 38 months after being found guilty of assisting unlawful immigration to the UK and attempting to enter the country illegally.

During the trip, he took pictures of himself on his mobile that would later be used as evidence by the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations unit.

Officers saw migrants balancing on the edge of the inflatable, with others sat on the floor of the boat.

A boat full of migrants piloted by Egyptian-national Reda Hamoud Abdurabou (Image: SWNS)

During the hearing, prosecutor Kate Davies told Salisbury Crown Court that Abdurabou was arrested when Border Force officials intercepted a rigid inflatable boat just over eight miles from Dover.

During a police interview, the defendant accepted that he had been piloting for around an hour and a half – but claimed others had also taken the leading role on the journey.

He told officers that he had made numerous other unsuccessful attempts to access the UK unlawfully, including in a lorry.

There were 50 other people found on the boat, including 24 Albanians and 15 Afghans, some Syrians, and an Iraqi.

Some have since successfully claimed asylum in the UK but most have had their asylum applications withdrawn or their whereabouts is unknown.

One man has since been convicted of cultivating cannabis and jailed for 16 months.

Philip Hill, defending, said the venture was a “joint enterprise” and they “all wanted to achieve the same thing”.

He said they all “helped carry the boat into the water and there were other people involved in the piloting and navigating” but only Abdurabou was charged.

Reda Hamoud Abdurabou (Image: SWNS)

Mr Hill added: “He goes to school [in prison] and gets £7 a week, he uses that to pay for calls to this family.

“It’s difficult for him, he obviously doesn’t like being locked up, who would? His whole venture was very misconceived from the get-go.”

Mr Hill said that Abdurabou was being contacted by people who had made it to England, some telling him it was “fantastic” because they had been put up in a hotel.

“You can’t blame him, you can blame him for being stupid enough”, he added.

His Honour Judge Timothy Mousley KC jailed Abdurabou for 38 months.

He told the defendant: “This was not your first attempt to enter the UK unlawfully and that increases the sentence.

“You were identified as the person who steered the boat. When you were asked why you were coming to the UK, you said you were looking for a better life.

“In my opinion, that puts you into the category of an economic migrant.”

Abdurabou will serve half of his sentence in custody and the rest on licence.

The defendant was arrested on arrival in the UK and his mobile phone was seized.

Immigration Enforcement officers interviewed, charged and remanded Abdurabou on the day of his arrival.

They found messages on his phone about his attempt to reach the UK illegally, along with the collection of selfies taken as he piloted the boat.

Chris Foster, Deputy Director of Criminal and Financial Investigations at the Home Office, said: "This defendant gloated as he risked dozens of lives by crossing the Channel illegally. Anyone willing to take the helm of these small boats can expect to be arrested and prosecuted.

“His sentence shows that our teams are working relentlessly to clamp down on this illegal trade.”