12.02. Rome (PAP) – The captain of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, sentenced on Wednesday to 16 years and one month in prison, announced that he will fight to the end to prove that they do not run away from the deck of a sinking cruise. “Do not give up” – he said.
The application for his immediate arrest was rejected.
“Everyone knew that I would be convicted. But I have not abandoned the ship, I can not accept, I will always strive to ensure that prove that they do not run away from the deck,” – said the captain of Concordia, quoted by Anse. Due to illness, he explained, was not present at the time of judgment Moderno theater in Grosseto, hired by the local court for trial. It lasted half a year, and during it held 71 hearings; Captain participated in almost all.
The first comment Schettino responded primarily to the fact that he was sentenced to a year in prison for leaving the ship at the time of the evacuation of passengers. This objection rejected from the beginning saying that accidentally fell into a lifeboat with a tilted cruise.
The court, which announced the first-instance judgment, rejected the request for his immediate arrest, as demanded by the prosecutor. Prosecutor argued that there is a risk of absconding captain.
Schettino, the only defendant in the process, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of all the victims, or 32 people, injure 157 people, and also inadvertently bring maritime disaster, which occurred January 13, 2012 in the proximity of Giglio island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. He was sentenced for the escape of a deck during the evacuation; for it sentenced to one year in prison.
The penalty of imprisonment received for the month that immediately after the disaster has not informed about it in the right way the port authority. As we know from the recordings, tried to conceal and downplay, saying initially on power failure, when the water has flooded the lower deck.
Besides Schettino received a 5-year ban as master.
The prosecutor demanded punishment for the master of 26 years in prison.
Attorney Schettino, Domenico Pepe said: “This is a harsh judgment, but that it managed to reduce it by nearly half compared with what the prosecution demanded, may restore some honor Schettino.” The defender also said that he lodges an appeal.
The prosecutor’s office welcomed the judgment, noting that the court found the accused on all of the charges. Lawyer shipowner’s Crosta Crociere, found a sentence for “sustainable” because in his view “reflects on justice for all”.
In addition, the captain of Concordia, and the owner was sentenced to pay a gigantic compensation to passengers, the authorities of the island of Giglio and all those who have suffered losses as a result of the disaster. This list is for example the Italian government, several ministries, Civil Defence, the Region of Tuscany and the international organization WWF conservationists.
The total amount of this compensation is a million.
Earlier cruise ship owner has said it had paid compensation – including families of the victims and passengers – in the amount of 84 million euros.
Deleting a disaster costing a total of 1.5 billion euros. About half a billion euro was having no precedent in the history of sea rescue operation to raise the wreck of the Concordia, which lies off the coast of Giglio. The next several hundred million has been spent on it towed to the port of Genoa for dismantling, which will cost 100 million more.
Italian cruise length of 298 meters with more than 4 thousand people on board – passengers from dozens of countries, including the Polish and the Thousand, an international crew – hit the offshore rocks near Giglio, which fell because swam too close to the island. Captain ordered to take a course that – as it turned out – to please the onboard restaurant manager and her friend from Moldova, who traveled without a ticket. She also asked for punitive damages and by Wednesday’s judgment is to receive 30,000 euros.
Throughout the process Schettino refuted all the allegations, claiming that he had not made a mistake, but the helmsman, who did not understand the command issued to him. He claimed that it was his merit is that there has been an even greater tragedy.
Attorney accusatory speech captain called “smart idiot” and “reckless optimist” and recalled that he had escaped from the ship during a chaotic, dramatic evacuation of passengers.
Schettino in his speech, he gave a few hours before the judgment, cried, and assured him of his pain because of what happened. Presented at the same time as a “victim” of the disaster. “I, too, in the partially dead” – he said.
Theatre in Grosseto rented for the duration of the whole process, because the local court does not have a sufficiently large room that could accommodate experts and representatives of passengers and families of victims from around the world.
From Rome Sylwia Wysocka
Concordia captain sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison – Gazeta.pl
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