Speedboat skipper cleared of manslaughter after buoy crash that killed teenager
14 February 2023, 14:07 | Updated: 14 February 2023, 15:32
A speedboat skipper who crashed into a buoy leaving a teenage passenger fatally injured has been cleared of manslaughter.
But Michael Lawrence, 55, was convicted of failing to maintain a proper lookout and a safe speed during the crash that killed Emily Lewis, 15, in Southampton Water on August 22, 2020.
The teenager was taken ashore by another boat after the horror crash and then by ambulance to hospital, where her parents later made the decision to turn off her life support machine having been being told she had suffered oxygen starvation to the brain and would not survive her injuries.
Lawrence will be sentenced next month.
The trial heard how the girl's parents had taken Emily and her sister on the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), operated by Seadogz, during the summer holidays.
Christine Agnew KC, prosecuting, told the court: "This was to be a high-thrills ride. Tragically it was both a high-thrills and ultimately an extremely dangerous ride, which ended with the death of Emily.
"She died from internal injuries she sustained by being crushed against the metal handle immediately in front of her, when the boat crashed head-on into a metal buoy which Michael Lawrence appears not to have seen.
"Perhaps because he wasn’t paying attention and was distracted, or because he was planning to take a sharp turn around it, and because he wasn’t paying close enough attention, he miscalculated the turn.
"In either event the prosecution say that his actions that day fell far below those of a competent skipper,’ she added.
During the ride, which took place in "perfect conditions", the boat crossed the wake of the Red Falcon ferry five times, before heading toward the North West Netley buoy.
It then struck the floating device, which weighs five tonnes and measures 4.69m above the water line, throwing two passengers into the water and injuring several others.
Lawrence initially blamed the crash on his face mask blowing over his eyes.
However, he told the jury he had lost his vision in what felt like "a split second".
The court heard that a medical cause such as a blood clot in an artery in his eye was unlikely to have caused vision loss as it was unlikely to have affected both eyes at once.
Lawrence was said to be an "extremely experienced mariner" and his co-defendant described him as "Mr Safe and Mr Cautious".
He had served as an RNLI lifeboatman for two decades, held a number of qualifications and was also the principal of his training centre, A2Sea, which held powerboat courses.
The jury is yet to reach a verdict on Seadogz owner Michael Howley, 52, who faces a charge of not operating the boat safely.
