Following on from Ferry Officer Michael Hubble having been found not guilty of the manslaughter of three sailors who drowned in the English Channel when their yacht Ouzo sank off the Isle of Wight on August 21st 2006.  The families of the three yachtsmen have issued the following statement:

“What ever the verdict that the jury brought in at the end of this trial, we three families cannot get away from certain facts.

“Three much loved young men are dead. “Each of them had worked hard at school in order to be able to go to university. They studied hard at university to obtain their degrees. Each worked hard in their employment to reach a time when they were each just beginning to reap the benefit of their hard work.

“They enjoyed life to the full. They worked hard and played hard. “They were safety conscious sailors. Safety first; safety second; safety third.

“Each of us has been devastated by the death of a much loved family member who gave us so much pleasure and enjoyment.

“They each had a wide circle of friends, who have been shaken by the death of each of them. Their partners have to try to come to terms with their loss and the futures they had planned together.

“It is clear to each of us three families that the police, the CPS and their teams have been very thorough in their investigation of this case.  We are very grateful to Christopher Parker QC for the way that he has handled the case.The MAIB carried out a very thorough investigation. 

“Finally, we three families all ask the press to recognise that we have each had to cope with the death of a much loved son.

We have also had to cope with the delay before the funerals could take place, the knowledge that a police investigation was taking place,  and then with the result of the MAIB report, the months leading up to the start of the trial and then, in effect, five weeks of the trial.

“We have been under pressure for over 15 months. “Please respect our wish to be left to grieve in peace, to try to come to terms with our loss.

“Please respect our privacy.”

Island Pulse.