Concordia captain guilty of manslaughter
The captain of the Costa Concordia that sank off the coast of Italy killing 32 people in 2012 has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Francesco Schettino was sentenced today to16 years in jail.
The captain, who was also charged with abandoning the ship before all passengers had been safely evacuated, had earlier pleaded for leniency from the panel of three judges.
He told them: "All the responsibility has been loaded on to me with no respect for the truth or for the memory of the victims," he said.
During the court case, prosecutors said that every passenger and crew member on board could have survived if Schettino had ordered an immediate evacuation after the ship ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio, rather than delaying for more than an hour.
He initially told passengers that the ship, which had been plunged into darkness, had a power outage and that they were in no danger.
Schettino denied allegations that the ship hit rocks because he sailed too close to the island in an attempt to impress his lover, a dancer who was with him on the ship’s bridge at the time.
He also denied deliberately abandoning the ship, claiming he had fallen into a lifeboat.
Managing director of Cruise.co.uk Seamus Conlon said: "We’re sure that many of the victims and families of the Costa Concordia will feel that justice has been served now that Francesco Schettino has received a long sentence for abandoning his ship in 2012, although there may be some questions raised about whether 16 years is enough given that 32 people lost their lives in this tragic incident.
"Following the anniversary of the sinking last month our community of over 200,000 users shared their views on current safety standards on cruise ships and we were pleased to see that British cruisers have greater confidence now when travelling on cruise ships thanks to the introduction of new policies by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), such as an increase in the number of lifejackets. "
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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