A French court has convicted an Iranian Kurdish imam living in France for furnishing rubber boats to migrants trying to cross the English Channel.

The court in the northern city of Boulogne-Sur-Mer sentenced Mohammad Baraeikechighaleshi to two years in prison with a third year suspended.

His lawyer said Tuesday the 39-year-old is considering an appeal.

Lawyer Marie-Alice Fasquelle-Leonetti said her client, who served as imam outside Rouen, was a political refugee and stopped providing boats once he learned their real use.

A friend he enlisted, Mouhamed Wagui, was sentenced to 18 months with half suspended.

Last year migrants began trying a new route to Britain, navigating small boats across the busy Channel.