The captain of the luxury Bayesian yacht that sank near Porticello, off the coast of Sicily, last week will face an investigation into multiple counts of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, the Italian prosecutor’s office announced Monday. James Cutfield, 51, was the head of crew aboard the 184-foot sailing boat when it capsized in the throes of a ferocious storm last Monday, killing six passengers, including British tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. The yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas also likely died in the wreck.
The other victims were Morgan Stanley International director Jonathan Bloomer, prominent American lawyer Chris Morvillo, and both of their wives – Judy Bloomer and Neda Morvillo. Chris Morvillo, a partner at Clifford Chance, was involved in successfully defeating the U.S.
fraud case against Lynch in June. Cutfield and 14 other people survived the sinking, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares. A weather phenomenon known as a waterspout – one of several types of tornadoes – is thought to have capsized the yacht.
But Italian authorities are investigating whether the crew’s actions and their handling of the boat contributed to the deadly sinking. New-Zealand born Cutfield is not in custody, according to Italian prosecutors, but he cannot leave the country while the investigation is ongoing. Those killed were likely asleep at the time of the storm, a prosecutor said at the weekend, which is why they were unable to escape.
On Saturday.