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Condor ferry crew convicted of manslaughter
The captain and first officer of a Condor fast ferry that crashed into a fishing boat off Jersey, killing its skipper, have been convicted of manslaughter.
French skipper Philippe Le Saulnier, a father of four, died when the Condor Vitesse collided with his 30ft fishing boat in March 2011.
At a court in Normandy this week, the ferry’s captain Paul Le Romancer, 58, from Strasbourg, was given an 18-month suspended sentence and the first officer, Yves Tournon, 48, from Argenteuil, was given a 12-month suspended term.
The trial was told the ferry was going too fast for the conditions when it hit the fishing boat, splitting it in two.
Black box data recordings revealed the captain and crew had been chatting about a TV film featuring Catwoman and had failed to notice a blip on the Condor’s radar screen that showed the fishing boat in their path.
Condor Ferries is not facing criminal prosecution.
Chief executive James Fulford said: “Condor Ferries fully respects both the process and decisions of the court. Whilst we welcome the conclusion that this brings to this very sad process, our thoughts and sympathies remain with M. Le Saulnier’s family.”
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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