Footage from a Border Force drone showed Daniel Malual steering the dinghy before realising he was being recorded and he changed his clothes in an attempt to confuse officials.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 24-year-old started mingling with other people of the small craft before picking up his child and holding it in his arms.
Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said the drone recorded the defendant while he was clearly in control of the dinghy as it made its Channel crossing on September 21 last year.
“The defendant was seen piloting the boat, he was operating the tiller and steering it,” he said.
“It became apparent that the Border Force was going to intervene and as that happened, he changed his clothing, mingling with others on the boat before embarking onto the Border Force boat.
“He was at one point given a child to carry to facilitate the safe transfer of the child.”
The court heard how Malual left South Sudan in 2020 and lived in Egypt and Libya for three years before heading to Italy and eventually trying to enter the UK.
Mr Soppitt added: “He arranged all the travel himself.”
Daniel Malual (Image: Durham Constabulary)
Malual, of Northallerton, pleaded guilty to attempting to arrive in the UK without a valid entry clearance following his arrest.
David Carmichael, mitigating, said his client’s wife and daughter still live in Northallerton and he had now made an application for asylum in the country after fleeing South Sudan due to political unrest.
He added: “He does not have a passport and he acknowledges that he didn’t have permission to enter the UK.”
Judge Jonathan Carroll locked Malual up for 12 months and ordered that a transcript of the hearing was sent to the authorities.
He said: “You arrived by crossing the Channel on a dinghy boat which had been well loaded with other potential claimants for asylum.
See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here
Don’t miss out on our biggest sale of the year! Get a full year of the Northern Echo for only £25 or try 6 months for just £6. Click here for details.
“All of them entering the country illegally. You appear to have some managerial responsibility; you were piloting the boat.
“You were clearly aware of the prospect of being identified by Border Force because you changed your clothes and started mingling with others.
“You didn’t arrive in the country alone; you came with a wife and child.”
He added: “You travelled through Egypt, Libya and Italy, where you could have legitimately claimed asylum. But for your own reasons, and with complete disregard for the provisions in place to properly request refugee status.”