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The skipper of a London Thames cruiser has received a jail sentence for the health and safety lapses that led to the holiday accident death of a Mexican man.
The 32-year-old Mexican, a personal injury lawyer in his home country, slipped into a gap between the boat and a pier as he tried to disembark from an unmanned exit following a pirate-themed party aboard the cruiser.
At a court hearing the cruiser's 25-year-old skipper received a 15-month prison sentence for what the judge described as "unforgivable" actions which led to the Mexican personal injury lawyer's holiday accident death.
The judge said, "You are highly qualified and you knew as well as anyone that risk cannot be taken on the water with members of the public, particularly at that crucial time when they are disembarking. You left the gate open and unattended. That was unforgivable."
The boat's 61-year-old captain had initially tried to cover up his colleague's negligence by claiming he had been manning the exit at the time of the holiday accident; however, he later admitted that he had been in the cruiser's bar tallying up the night's takings.
It is not known whether the deceased man's family will be seeking to make a compensation claim for his death.
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