Emily Lewis: Speedboat skipper sentenced after teenager's death in crash

A speedboat skipper who was going excessively accelerated earlier a clang that fatally injured a teenage rider has been fixed a suspended situation sentence.

Michael Lawrence, 55, was convicted of failing to support a due lookout and a harmless velocity earlier the clang that killed 15-year-old Emily Lewis successful Southampton Water connected 22 August 2020.

After a proceedings astatine Winchester Crown Court, helium was cleared of manslaughter.

He and vessel proprietor Michael Howley were fixed 18-month suspended sentences.

Howley was antecedently recovered blameworthy by bulk verdict of failing to run the vas safely.

Emily Lewis, from Park Gate, Hampshire, was connected a "high thrills" thrust with her parents and sister erstwhile the RIB, carrying 12 people, deed the buoy astatine astir 37 knots (43mph), the tribunal heard.

She suffered "unsurvivable" crush injuries portion a fig of different passengers were earnestly injured, the assemblage was told.

Her sister Amy tearfully described however she did not deliberation she could transportation connected surviving aft losing Emily.

In a unfortunate statement, she said: "My mediocre parents had to perceive their lone girl archer them that I wanted to die."

Emily's begetter Simon said helium was a "truly breached man" arsenic helium recalled making the determination to power his daughter's beingness enactment instrumentality off.

In a further unfortunate statement, vessel rider Helen Mann, who suffered 5 fractured ribs and a punctured lung erstwhile she was thrown into the water, said she had suffered lasting trauma, leaving her incapable to look astatine the sea.

Her person Carolyn Edwards, who suffered a breached rib, breached limb and fractured back, described having sleepless nights and flashbacks.

Alison McKenzie, who was successful the vessel with her family, told the tribunal her sons' lives had been devastated by the crash, with 1 missing astir 2 years of schoolhouse owed to intelligence wellness issues.

The defendants sat with their heads bowed, avoiding the victims' regard arsenic the statements were read.