Skipper breaks down in tears as he is cleared of sinking fishing boat
A SKIPPER accused of sinking a boat in the harbour of a North Yorkshire resort has spoken of his relief after the case against him was dropped.
A not guilty verdict has been recorded on Trevor Cross, 49, of Mulgrave Place, Whitby, after the prosecution offered no evidence against him.
Mr Cross, known as Gordon, has now spoken about his ordeal.
He said: “It’s a weight lifted off my chest.
“The night I got the phone call from my barrister telling me the case had been dropped, I just broke down in tears. I was in a pub, went outside and collapsed.”
He added: “I maintained my innocence all along – I’m so relieved.”
He originally appeared at York Crown Court on December 29, where he denied damaging the fishing boat Stoney Broke belonging to Whitby skipper Barry Rogers.
The Crown Prosecution Service originally claimed that Mr Cross had tampered with the boat’s rigging to submerge the vessel at Dock End, causing it to sink, after leaving a pub on July 4, 2016.
His defence team claimed the boat may have sunk due to a rising tide.
Mr Cross was on unconditional bail pending a trial, which was due to start on August 7, but has now been found not guilty of the offence.
The court heard in late December how the incident had caused “immense” ramifications within Whitby’s close community of skippers.
The judge entered a not guilty verdict into the record.
This is the same as if Mr Cross had been found not guilty by a jury and means the case cannot be reopened.
Mr Cross extended his thanks to those who have stuck with him throughout the ordeal, including his family and friends, skippers from the harbour community and Whitby Charter Skippers Association.
He said that he now wishes to move on with his life.