British sailor allegedly murders wife by sinking their catamaran

[dk]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...lor-deliberately-damaged-boat-drown-wife.html

I do hope I wouldn’t be judged by a bunch of Daily Mail journos if my boat sank! Its reporting of the British sailor who allegedly murdered his wife by scuppering their boat has more holes in it than their catamaran’s hull!
One ‘giant hole’ mentioned in a caption is clearly a manufactured aperture for the daggerboard, which is lifted up. Some of the open ‘escape hatches’ are just deck hatches and would clearly not cause its sinking unless a giant wave came over them or it was inverted. The real escape hatches on the bottom are indeed ‘cracked’ a little, but I’ve seen this done at anchor in charter cats in the tropics to improve air circulation. These hatches are above the waterline too, so they wouldn’t cause it to sink either. The only real hole I see gouged out of one hull is one in the topsides – way above the waterline.
I’m not saying he did or didn’t do it – I just find it odd that there is no published images of the ‘damage’ he purportedly did to the hulls to make it sink.

 

[jordanbasset]

As he has pleaded guilty I don't think there is much doubt he killed her

 

[dk]

He's pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, which is what the prosecution has now charged him with. my guess is he's been advised to by his lawyer.

According to the Beeb:
The British-Australian dual citizen was due to stand trial in December charged with second degree murder.

But on Friday prosecutors filed a fresh charge of unlawfully killing Ms Hellmann without malice in the commission of a lawful act, without due caution, which is gross negligence amounting to wanton and reckless disregard for human life.

 

[Quandary]

Did he give her champagne and then take her out in the dark? Will be interesting to compare the sentences.

 

[CLB]

I must get myself some of them "below the waterline portholes"

 

[lpdsn]

I must get myself some of them "below the waterline portholes"

If your boat sinks they will be below the waterline.

 

[pvb]

If you were planning that sort of act, wouldn't you try to do it in deep water where the boat might not be so easy to examine?

PS I sail mainly on the East Coast, so my wife is in no danger!

 

[mjcoon]

PS I sail mainly on the East Coast, so my wife is in no danger!

I hope she finds that reassuring!

Mike.

 

[Neeves]

If you were planning that sort of act, wouldn't you try to do it in deep water where the boat might not be so easy to examine?

PS I sail mainly on the East Coast, so my wife is in no danger!

A few metres of chain and that spare anchor - shallow water is not much protection. She only needs to watch out when you join an acting class, becoming good at instant tears - she needs to document how many anchors you carry.

Is this cause for another and original anchor thread

Jonathan

 

[Stemar]

Part of the evidence in a Harry Bosch episode was the lack of a second anchor on a boat that should have been carrying two.

Personally, "She was on watch, I was asleep below. I woke up and realised she should have called me two hours ago and I was alone. I put out a mayday, but no one responded. I spent two days searching" seems to be about as bulletproof as it comes, but it must take a pretty special kind of person to hold it together under the sort of questioning that story would get.

IIRC, that actually happened to a couple (genuine accident), but she survived several hours in the water and was picked up by some locals, so an extra, uninventoried anchor may still be useful

 

[zoidberg]

What a shocking crime!

Damaging that beautiful catamaran.......