Captain of doomed Bayesian superyacht declines to respond to prosecutor questions, lawyer says
The captain of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s sunken Bayesian superyacht is now declining to answer prosecutors’ questions, his lawyer said — as it emerged two more crew members are now also being probed over last week’s deadly disaster.
James Cutfield, 51, is being investigated by Italian prosecutors for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges after the $40 million yacht sunk off the coast of Sicily — killing Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others.
Cutfield, a New Zealand national, underwent his third round of questioning on Tuesday in the wake of the Aug. 19 tragedy, according to his lawyer.
“He just exercised his right to remain silent, probably prosecutors were expecting that,” the attorney, Aldo Mordiglia, said, adding that the captain’s legal team has just been named and needs time to work on his defensive strategy.
The development comes as ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are now being eyed over the same crimes, sources familiar with the investigation said.
Parker Eaton, who was in charge of the engine room at the time, is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht’s engine room and operating systems, the sources alleged.
Griffith, meanwhile, was on watch duty on the night of the incident, they added.
The captain and the other two crew members were among the 15 passengers and crew that survived when the superyacht went down after being struck by a pre-dawn storm.
Italian authorities quickly launched a manslaughter investigation as rescue crews scrambled for nearly a week to retrieve the bodies of the victims.
Prosecutors have already said the investigation will take some time given the wreck still needs to be salvaged from the sea.
The sinking has baffled naval marine experts who say a boat like the Bayesian, built by Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini, should have been able to withstand the storm.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” — a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:
- A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing seven passengers.
- British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, was the final one to be recovered.
- Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage, according to the Telegraph.
- Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the Bayesian sank Monday shows it disappearing.
- A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the Bayesian’s speedy demise, maritime experts say.
The sailboat had been carrying 22 passengers and crew when it went down.
Those on board were there to help Lynch celebrate his recent acquittal in a major US fraud trial.
The body of the on-ship chef, Ricardo Thomas, was discovered shortly after the Bayesian sank.
The others who died after getting trapped in the hull included Lynch, his daughter, Big Apple attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda, and Morgan Stanley exec Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.
With Post wires
