ROME (AP) — The captain of a superyacht that sank in a storm off Sicily last week, killing seven people, decided not to answer questions from prosecutors Tuesday, his lawyer said.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigation on possible charges of involuntary manslaughter and culpable shipwreck and was questioned for the third time by Termini Imerese prosecutors on Tuesday.
“He simply exercised his right to remain silent, prosecutors probably expected that,” lawyer Aldo Mordiglia told The Associated Press, adding that the captain’s legal team had just been appointed and needed time to work on its defensive strategy.
Cutting field was among the 15 survivors of the August 19 shipwreck who killed British tech mogul Mike Lynchhis daughter Hannah and five other people.
Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is leading the investigation, said his team would examine every possible element of responsibility, including that of the captain, crew, those supervising and the yacht’s builder.
THE The Bayesian, a 56-metre (184-foot) luxury yacht flying the British flag, has sunk Near this Mediterranean island in southern Italy, investigators are looking into how a sailboat, considered “unsinkable” by its builder, the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while another nearby sailboat remained virtually unscathed.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely fast” and could have been a “downburst” – a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads quickly as it hits the ground.
The crew was saved, except for the captain, while six passengers remained trapped in the hull.
