Costa Concordia skipper gets 16yrs’ jail
An Italian court has sentenced Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino to 16 years and one month in prison for causing the 2012 cruise ship disaster that claimed 32 lives.
Schettino, 54, was sentenced at the end of a 19-month trial, three years after the giant liner struck rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
The conviction of the man dubbed “Captain Coward” by the media and “an idiot” by prosecutors is subject to appeal and Schettino will remain free for the time being.
The disgraced skipper, who had earlier tearfully appealed to the court for mercy, was convicted of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning his ship with passengers and crew still on board.
On top of the prison term, he was banned from public office for life and from working as a ship’s captain for five years.
His sentence was significantly lower than the maximum 26 years and three months prosecutors had called for. Despite that, the prosecutors declared themselves “completely satisfied” with the verdict.
Schettino’s lawyer, Domenico Pepe, confirmed his client would appeal.
“The fact that the judges almost halved the sentence sought by the prosecution has restored a bit of honour to him,” Pepe said outside court on Wednesday.
Schettino was accused during the trial of recklessly steering the giant cruise ship on to the rocks with more than 4000 people on board, negligently delaying an order to abandon ship, and then leaving the ship himself in a cowardly and unprofessional manner.
In his defence, Schettino had argued that his crew was to blame for the collision, that the delayed evacuation might have saved lives, and insisted he fell off the tilting boat rather than fleeing in fear.
Schettino had also claimed he was being made the sole scapegoat for the disaster and had been the victim of a media witch-hunt.
“I have spent the last three years in a media meat grinder,” he said.
“It is difficult to call what I have been living through a life.
“All the responsibility has been loaded on to me with no respect for the truth or for the memory of the victims.”
Breaking down in loud sobs, Schettino concluded by declaring “basta (enough)”.
Schettino’s lawyers had sought throughout the trial to demonstrate that he could not be only person responsible for the deaths that occurred, given the multiple contributory factors.
They argued a poorly-trained crew was responsible for setting the ship on its fatal course and that the practice of passing close to shorelines to entertain passengers was effectively company policy.
Charts on board were not accurate and, crucially, the Indonesian helmsman, Jacob Rusli Bin, was unable to understand an order from Schettino to change course just before the collision, the defence contended.
Costa Crociere, the company that owned the ship, sidestepped potential criminal charges in 2013 by agreeing to pay a 1 million-euro ($A1.47 million) fine.
Survivors of the disaster who had rejected Costa’s initial compensation offer and had become civil parties in the Schettino case were awarded damages of 30,000 euros. Among those who will receive the payout is Domnica Cemortan, the blonde Moldovan dancer Schettino was entertaining over dinner just before the ship hit the rocks.
Five Costa employees including the helmsman and crisis co-ordinator were sentenced to up to two years and 10 months each in plea bargains concluded early in the investigation.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
costa concordia Costa Crociere francesco schettino italyLatest News
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