Michael Lawrence

A speedboat skipper who was going too fast before a crash that fatally injured a teenage passenger has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Michael Lawrence , 55, was convicted of failing to maintain a proper lookout and a safe speed before The Crash that killed 15-year-old Emily Lewis in Southampton Water on 22 August 2020.

After a trial at Winchester Crown Court , he was cleared of manslaughter.

He and boat owner Michael Howley were given 18-month Suspended Sentences .

Howley was previously found guilty by majority verdict of failing to operate the vessel safely.

Emily Lewis, from Park Gate, Hampshire, was on a " high thrills" ride with her parents and sister when The Rib , carrying 12 people, hit the buoy at nearly 37 knots (43mph), The Court heard.

She suffered " unsurvivable" crush injuries while A Number of other passengers were seriously injured, The Jury was told.

Her sister Amy tearfully described how she did not think she could carry on living after losing Emily.

In a victim statement, She Said : " My poor parents had to hear their only daughter tell them that I wanted to die. "

Emily's father Simon said he was a " truly broken man" as he recalled making the decision to switch his daughter's Life Support machine off.

In a further victim statement, boat passenger Helen Mann, who suffered five fractured ribs and a punctured lung when she was thrown into the water, said she had suffered lasting trauma, leaving her unable to look at The Sea .

Her friend Carolyn Edwards, who suffered a broken rib, broken leg and fractured back, described having Sleepless Nights and flashbacks.

Alison McKenzie, who was in The Boat with her family, told The Court her sons' lives had been devastated by The Crash , with one missing nearly two years of school due to Mental Health issues.

The Defendants sat with their heads bowed, avoiding The Victims ' gaze as the statements were read.

Source of news: bbc.com