Emily Lewis manslaughter trial: Skipper and company owner dodge jail after crash which killed Fareham girl

Emily Lewis, 15, of Park Gate, suffered fatal injuries after the rigid inflatable boat (Rib) carrying herself and her family slammed into a buoy in Southampton Water. The crash happened on August 22, 2020, with a number of other passengers being seriously injured.

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Michael Lawrence, 55, who was driving the boat, was found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence at Winchester Crown Court last month. He was found guilty of failing to maintain a proper lookout and failing to proceed at a safe speed by the jury.

Michael Howley, 52, the owner of Seadogz, the company which operated the boat trip, was convicted of not operating the boat safely. Both men have been given 18-week prison sentences suspended for two years at Winchester Crown Court today.

They were also ordered to complete 125 hours of community services and pay £1,000 in court costs. The judge, Mr Justice 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.’ Explaining why Lawrence was not imprisoned, the judge added: ‘There is a real prospect of rehabilitation, Mr Lawrence can be said to have rehabilitated himself by abandoning maritime practices.’

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Christine Agnew KC, prosecuting, told the trial that Emily, her sister Amy and their parents – Simon and Nicola – were on the Rib which sped straight at a buoy at 36.6 knots for 14 seconds before hitting it, throwing two passengers into the water.

Emily suffered severe internal injuries after being crushed against the metal handle in front of her. She was taken ashore by another Rib and then by ambulance to hospital.

Emily passed away after her family decided to turn her life support system off. They were told by doctors she had suffered oxygen starvation to the brain and her injuries were ‘unsurvivable’.

Ms Agney said Lawrence, described as ‘Mr Safe’ by his co-defendant, initially said a face mask blew into his face, blocking his vision, but then changed his account – claiming he lost vision moments before hitting the buoy.

Reading her victim impact statement in court, Nicola, wiping back tears, said looking at Lawrence: ‘Emily was a fun, quiet, caring young girl with a wicked sense of humour.

‘We loved her so much but now our hearts are empty. You have taken away from us not 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.’

Nicola described Lawrence as ‘weak’ and a ‘coward’ for not taking responsibility on the day of Emily’s death. Simon added: ‘I will now always have traumatic memories of seeing Emily on that day. When I passed her to you after the accident so that you could put her on the speedboat that came to help us, 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 that this is what you see in your mind’s eye when you wake up and before you sleep.’

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Amy said describing the day of Emily’s death as the worst in her life was an understatement and said the grief left her struggling to find a reason to continue living. She added: ‘The way I feel and the way I have felt for the last two-and-a-half years is a feeling I wouldn’t wish on anyone, not even you Mr Lawrence.’

Mark Ashley, defending Lawrence, of Blackfield, New Forest, said his client’s actions were ‘out of character’ and added: ‘We are dealing with a good man who has made a mistake.

‘He is deeply, deeply affected by what has happened. There isn’t a day that goes by when he doesn’t wish it was he who died.’

Describing Mr Howley’s ‘adhoc’ approach to safety measures, David Richards, prosecuting, said: ‘He exposed his customers to the risk of a Rib ride where the necessary safety measures hadn’t been taken. Keely Harvey, representing Howley, of Hordle, 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.’

The court previously heard that Seadogz had received three complaints from passengers suffering back injuries in 10 years – with one person injured during a ride in 2012 receiving a £300,000 payout.