Getty ImagesA teenager believed to be the first person to be charged with endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK without valid entry clearance said he was "forced to do so".
Aman Naseri, 18, is accused of piloting a small boat with 46 people on board during the first Channel crossing of the year on 5 January, the day the new law came into force.
At Margate Magistrates' Court on Wednesday he pleaded not guilty to the offence.
Naseri, who is an Afghan national and followed proceedings through a Dari interpreter, has been remanded into custody to appear at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.
Julie Farbrace, prosecuting, said: "We submit Mr Naseri has piloted a boat across the Channel.
"There were 46 other people on that boat and that by piloting the boat he put them in danger."
The Crown Prosecution Service said Naseri was the first person to be charged with the offence, which is part of a range of measures introduced to limit Channel crossings on small boats.
The new offence came into force under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law in December.
According to the Home Office, the charge of endangering others during a sea crossing is to stop more people being crammed into unsafe boats and would apply to those involved in physical aggression and intimidation, as well as anyone who resists rescue.
When the plans for the offence were first announced in January 2025, Home Office sources said there had been instances of "floating crime scenes" where people had acted in such a reckless way people died on board in crushes and drownings.
The new charge could include physical or psychological injury, and covers journeys by water to the UK from France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Under the offence, those who endanger or risk another life at sea could face up to six years in prison.
Additional reporting from PA Media.
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