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

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 both given 18-week 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.

Reading her victim impact statement to the court, Emily's mother Nicola said looking at Lawrence: "I couldn't help her and this haunts me daily. I cannot get the image out of my head.

"That is why I survive and not live because of what you did to me and my family on that day."

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.

Mark Ashley, defending Lawrence, of Blackfield, New Forest, said his client was "a good man who has made a mistake" and was "deeply affected" by what had happened.

"There isn't a day that goes by when he doesn't wish it was he who died."

Keely Harvey, who represented Howley, of Hordle, Hampshire, said the boat owner "cared" about the safety of his passengers and would be "forever affected" by the incident.

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

They were both also ordered to complete 125 hours of community service and pay £1,000 of court costs.

Suspending the jail sentences for two years, Mr Justice Butcher told Lawrence he took into account his remorse and years of service with the RNLI.

"It is still unknown why you drove the RIB as you did. It must have been the result of inattention or distraction," the judge said.

He said Howley had immediately shut down his thrill ride firm Seadogz, and the owner's failure to put proper safety procedures in place had not caused the accident.

Outside the court, Simon Lewis said he was disappointed that the sentences had been suspended.

Reading a family statement, he said: "After two-and-a-half long years we have managed to get some of the justice that Emily so deserved.

"Neither Mr Lawrence nor Mr Howley have apologised for what happened on that fateful day.

"I do hope that the safety concerns raised by this case can help other people to continue to have fun on the water but with a reduced risk of injury or indeed death."

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