Speedboat driver took selfie before ‘losing vision’ in crash that killed teen

The skipper of a speedboat which crashed and killed a 15-year-old girl after crashing into a buoy has told a court he lost his vision for a "split second" just before he lost control.

Michael Lawrence, 55, denies manslaughter by gross negligence after Emily Lewis suffered fatal injuries when the boat he was driving hit a 4.5 metre buoy on Southampton Water on August 22, 2020.

The skipper took a selfie at the start of the fatal ride, and the photo of him wearing a company-branded face mask, helmet and visor was released by the court on Tuesday, January 21 as Lawrence's trial continued.

Several other passengers were seriously injured in the crash, which was supposed to be as an "adrenaline-fuelled" thrill ride.

Lawrence, who worked as an RNLI lifeboatman for 20 years, told Winchester Crown Court that he had lost his love of sailing, having previously had a lifelong “fascination” for all kinds of boats.

He denied being someone that would "show off" while out at sea.

“The ride on the day up until the last bit was a ride we had done many times, we hadn’t done anything different and was well within the capability of the boat. I didn’t believe anything I was doing was unsafe," he told the court.

Lawrence said he crossed the wake of an Isle of Wight ferry, with the boat powering straight towards a buoy for 14 seconds before hitting it.

He told the court he used his judgment to gauge the speed of the boat, rather than a dial, and admitted he misjudged the speed.

He welled up while recounting how he lost his vision as the boat sped towards the buoy.

“All I can remember is I came round the turn and straighten the boat up, I felt a little bit light-headed maybe, I don’t know how to describe that," he said.

“Then I lost my vision and then it came back, in my timeline, I lost my vision and by the time it came back it was a split second, that’s how it felt."

“I do not know how to explain that, I referred to it as maybe (the length of) a sneeze, there wasn’t a timeline of me going around for 10 seconds, it was a split second.

“When I next have a memory, it was everything had changed, there were people everywhere.”

Michael Howley, 52, the owner of Seadogz, the company which operated the boat trip, is also on trial, accused of not operating the boat safely.

Lawrence, of Blackfield, New Forest, and Howley, of Hordle, New Forest, deny the charges and the trial continues.

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