Imam jailed for helping refugees try to cross English Channel

Iranian man says he was ‘ashamed’ when he discovered boats he sold were being used by traffickers

Eight men on Winchelsea Beach after apparently crossing the Channel (Sean Winchelsea/Twitter)

An imam has been sentenced to two years in prison in France for selling inflatable boats to people smugglers to take refugees across the English Channel.

The man, a 39-year-old Iranian refugee, was found guilty of earning thousands of euros through buying dinghies and selling them to traffickers, The Times reported.

A member of his congregation, a 29-year-old man from Senegal, was also jailed for nine months and banned from visiting Nord and Pas-de-Calais for three years.

The imam, who was not named in French media reports, said he was “ashamed” when he found out the boats were being used for illegal Channel crossings.

He fainted when his sentence was read out in court.

The imam admitted selling seven dinghies, which he charged a commission for.

When police searched his house they found two boats, three outboard engines and life jackets, the BBC reported.

Both defendants claimed they were initially unaware the boats were being used to traffic refugees across the Channel.

In December, Sajid Javid, the home secretary, declared a “major incident” over the number of refugees attempting to cross the Channel.

Last month, 140 refugees were discovered trying to cross the Channel.