Skipper charged over speedboat death

The skipper of a boat has been charged over the death of a schoolgirl who was killed in front of her family in a crash.

Emily Lewis, 15, died when she was “catapulted into the handrail in front of her seat” when the rigid inflatable boat crashed into a buoy in the Solent, Hants, in August 2020, a report revealed. Michael Lawrence, 54, the skipper, who was among 12 people taken to hospital after the smash, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. Michael Howley, 51, the owner of the speedboat firm, has also been charged with failing to ensure the craft was operated safely.

The pair will appear at Southampton magistrates’ court on Feb 2.