A speedboat driver has been acquitted of manslaughter after the death of a 15-year-old girl following a crash on Southampton Water in 2020.
But Michael Lawrence, 55, was found guilty by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of failing to maintain a proper lookout and failing to maintain a safe speed relating to the teenager’s death.
Emily Lewis suffered fatal injuries after the rigid inflatable boat (rib) collided with a 4.5m high buoy at 36.6 knots on 22 August 2020.
A number of other passengers were also seriously injured.
Prosecuting, Christine Agnew KC told the trial how Emily’s parents, Simon and Nikki, had made the decision to take her and sister Amy, 18, for a “high thrills” speedboat ride.
The boat was recorded to travel at speeds of 47.8 knots, which is in excess of an expired speed limit of 40 knots (46mph) which she said both defendants believed was still in place.
A verdict has yet to be reached for Michael Howley, 52, the owner of Seadogz, the company which operated the boat trip, who was charged with not operating the boat safely.
The ride, which was said to have taken place in “perfect conditions”, saw the Stormforce 950 rib cross the wake of a Red Falcon ferry five times, before heading straight towards the North West Netley buoy, which measures 4.69m above the water line.
The boat was travelling towards it for 14 seconds at a speed of 38.6 knots (44mph), before hitting it and throwing passengers into the water and injuring others.
Emily suffered from internal injuries from being crushed up against the metal handle in front of her, and was taken ashore by another boat, then transported to hospital where she later died.
Her parents decided to turn off her life support after being told by medical staff she had suffered from oxygen starvation to the brain and her injuries were “unsurvivable”.
Ms Agnew said Mr Lawrence, of Blackfield, New Forest, initially said a face mask blowing into his face had blocked his view, but later changed his account.
Mr Lawrence, who is a former lifeboatman, told the court he had lost his vision briefly, prior to hitting the buoy.
The jury was told that a condition such as a blood clot in an artery in his eye was unlikely to have caused the loss of vision, due to it being unlikely to have impacted both eyes at once.
He was said to be an “extremely experienced mariner”, and his co-defendant called him “Mr Safe and Mr Cautious”.
Mr Lawrence had served as an RNLI lifeboatman for two decades, and held a number of qualifications, as well as being the principle of his own RYA recognised training centre, A2Sea, which held power boat courses.
Howley, of Hordle, New Forest, is also a former lifeboatman, and said he used his past experiences from rescues to inform him of risk assessments which he carried out for the business on a daily basis, to ensure the safety of the passengers and staff.
