Crime This article is more than 10 months oldTwo men receive suspended sentences over Emily Lewis speedboat death
This article is more than 10 months oldFamily criticise boat’s skipper Michael Lawrence and company owner Michael Howley over crash that killed teenager
The family of a 15-year-old girl who was killed in a speedboat crash have described the moment her life support system was turned off and criticised the skipper as a “coward” as he was given a suspended jail sentence.
Emily Lewis suffered fatal injuries after the rigid inflatable boat (Rib) collided with a 4.5-metre buoy at 42mph in Southampton Water, with a number of other passengers left seriously injured.
Michael Lawrence, 55, who was driving the boat, was found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence but convicted of failing to maintain a proper lookout and to proceed at a safe speed.
Michael Howley, 52, the owner of Seadogz, the company that ran the boat trips, was convicted of not operating the vessel safely.
They were sentenced at Winchester crown court on Friday to 18 weeks in custody suspended for two years, ordered to complete 125 hours of community service and pay £1,000 of court costs.
Judge Butcher said: “It is still unknown exactly why you, Michael Lawrence, drove the Rib as you did.
“I am sure the accident was not caused by your deliberately driving at the buoy or aiming to go close and swerve away, instead what happened must have been the result of inattention or distraction.”
Christine Agnew KC, prosecuting, told the trial that Emily’s parents, Simon and Nicola, had taken their daughters Emily and Amy for the “high thrills” speedboat ride on 22 August 2020.
The Rib sped directly at the buoy for 14 seconds before hitting it, throwing two passengers into the water and injuring several others.
Lawrence told the trial he had lost his vision momentarily before hitting the buoy.
Reading her victim impact statement to the court, Emily’s mother, Nicola Lewis, wiped away tears and looked at Lawrence as she said: “You have taken away from us being able to see Emily grow into the beautiful young lady, the amazing adult that she would have been. I will never forgive you for this.
“I go back to that day, all I can see is Emily’s blue lips and her saying to me that she cannot breathe. I was not able to hold her and comfort her because of my other injuries. I couldn’t help her and this haunts me daily.
“It is two and a half years and you have kept us in this hell, you could have taken responsibility for what happened that day but you have chosen not to. To me, you are just a coward, only thinking about yourself. You show no remorse.”
Emily’s father, Simon Lewis, told him: “I can vividly see her skin smooth and pale as alabaster and her lips already looking blue. I hope you remember this too. I hope this is what you see in your mind’s eye when you wake up and before you sleep.”
Mark Ashley, defending Lawrence, of Blackfield in New Forest, said his client’s actions were “out of character”, adding: “We are dealing with a good man who has made a mistake.”
Keely Harvey, representing Howley, of Hordle in Hampshire, said he “cared” about the safety of his passengers and added: “He is highly remorseful, he is a man who will be forever affected by this.”
Outside court, Simon Lewis said: “The suspended sentence is quite hard to accept. Neither Mr Lawrence nor Mr Howley have apologised for what happened on that fateful day. I found this to be highly disrespectful not only to the survivors of the collision, but also to Emily.”
Nicola Lewis was also critical about how offences involving boats were dealt with, saying there was a disparity between the charges Lawrence and Howley might have faced if the incident occurred on a road. Lewis said she would write to the home secretary, Suella Braverman, to raise her concerns.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaK2bYrumw9JoaWlqY2S6or6Oam5orKekeq6xzWaqrqugmrulscNmqp6mpJq7pLHSZpymoZyueq2x1qKqZqugmrKlrs6aq2aclZbBqQ%3D%3D