British oil executive’s son, 15, dies in speedboat accident in Greece

‘Coastguards sped to the site but saw the boy severely cut up by the propellers. There was no chance to save him’

THE son of a British oil executive has died after colliding with the propeller of a speedboat piloted by his father during a family holiday in Greece.

Toby Finnett, 15, was killed off the island of Paxos, south of Corfu, when he fell from the boat into the water as Paul Finnett, 55, was steering the vessel.

Mr Finnett dived into the water to recover his son, who had become caught up in the boat’s propeller. He then headed to the nearest port but the teenager was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The incident happened on Saturday when the family encountered choppy waters during a day trip together. It is thought strong currents off Paxos contributed to the accident, and caused the boy to become caught in the rigid inflatable boat’s engine propeller.

“Doctors and coastguards sped to the site of the accident but when they arrived they saw the young boy severely cut up by the propeller. He died instantly. There was no chance of rescuing him,” a local coastguard official told The Times.

The accident happened about half a mile from the port of Gaois, where Mr Finnett, a managing director at Aon, and his family had been on holiday. The family are understood to be currently living in Houston, Texas, where Mr Finnett works.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “Staff are supporting the family of a British child following his death in Paxos, and are in contact with the Greek police about the incident.”

Mr Finnett, from Littlehampton in West Sussex, is believed to be an experienced sailor and had rented the speedboat for a day excursion to the nearby island of Mogonissi with his three sons, aged 14, 15 and 17.

He was detained by Greek police and made a statement in front of a magistrate on the island, but was later released. “The father was initially arrested on suspicion of driving negligently,” a Greek official said, “but he was released after an investigation determined the accident was most likely caused by bad weather conditions”.

At the time, a red alert had reportedly been issued by authorities against travelling between Paxos and the nearby island of Corfu due to bad weather.

The tragedy has shocked the Ionian island of Paxos, a favourite holiday destination for Britons. “We are devastated and we express our condolences to the family of the victim,” Spiros Vlahopoulos, the mayor, said. “We are providing everything we can to assist them in their trying time.”

The tragedy will likely draw parallels with the death of Nick Milligan, 51, a Sky TV executive, and his daughter Emily, eight, in a speedboat accident in the Camel Estuary, Cornwall.

That accident happened as the family were returning the boat to its mooring in May 2013.