Drowned boatie was not wearing lifejacket

Three months after being convicted of manslaughter for the death of his friend in a boating accident, Teiron Jones has drowned off the north Taranaki coast.

In August, the Taranaki skipper was convicted and discharged for the manslaughter of his friend and fishing companion, Erka Xu.

He was ordered to pay Xu’s family - his wife and 13-yearold daughter - $5000 in reparation

Xu drowned in July 2015 after a wave struck Jones’ four-metre inflatable boat near the Waitara bar.

The boat capsized and neither man was wearing a lifejacket.

Two years on and Jones has drowned near the scene of the tragedy that claimed Xu’s life.

Rescuers said that Jones was, again, not wearing a lifejacket.

The earlier tragedy saw a local surfer paddle out to help the pair.

He pulled Jones to safety before heading over to where Hamilton man Xu was floating face down and unconscious in the water.

Paramedics spent 30 minutes trying to resuscitate the 52-year-old but were unable to save him.

The ensuing manslaughter case heard that Jones had suffered a head injury in 2013 which had effectively changed his personality and reduced his ability to adapt quickly to unplanned events.

In its prosecution of Jones, police said he failed to take all necessary safety precautions required by law by not having lifejackets on board.

Maritime rules make it a skipper’s legal responsibility to ensure lifejackets are worn during periods of heightened risk, including when crossing a bar.

The Crown did not seek a custodial sentence for Jones but highlighted evidence of an ‘‘inconsistency’’ regarding his adherence with lifejacket use in the past.

The High Court heard how witnesses had seen Jones, and people with him, not wearing lifejackets on previous fishing trips.

The trial’s defence said the case had highlighted the ‘‘relatively unregulated’’ area of water use in New Zealand and Jones himself believed there needed to be a change in the law to make lifejacket use mandatory.