Shoreham skipper accused denies WhatsApp distraction
- Published
Mircea Ilie (left) and Irinel Popovici were among four fisherman on board the boat
The captain of a trawler which swamped a small boat causing it to sink, and three men on board to drown, insisted he was keeping a proper look out, a court heard.
Mircea "Mitch" Ilie, 40, Irinel Popovici, 41, and Treaiam Dumitrache, 50, were on an overnight fishing trip.
The incident happened off the coast of Shoreham, West Sussex, in 2017.
David Marr, 55, of Peterhead, denies failing to maintain a proper lookout.
Sole survivor Elvis Cojocariu was later found alive by a fisherman, suffering from hypothermia.
The four Romanian friends had been on an overnight fishing trip on board the James 2, when the Vertrouwen "passed extremely close to it" at about 00:25 BST on 6 August 2017, Lewes Crown Court, sitting at Brighton Magistrates's Court heard.
Traiam Dumitrache was one of three men who died following the incident
The Vertrouwen, a scallop trawler, left the port of Shoreham at 00:07 BST on 6 August 2017, with four crew on board.
Mr Marr, the Vertrouwen's skipper, with 35 years of experience, took the first watch.
He told the jury he had set the boat on autopilot after passing the Shoreham breakwater and was maintaining a proper look out.
He confirmed he had sent a WhatsApp message at 00:24 to a friend, David Watt. He said he thought he had part-written the message before the Vertrouwen had left harbour but been distracted before sending it.
Mr Marr told the jury he had not seen the smaller vessel's navigation or cabin lights, or the head torches of the men on board.
He was asked if "typing that 18-word message to David Watt impact on your ability to keep a proper look out", to which he replied: "No."
David Marr, 53, of Tower Hill, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, denies failing to maintain a proper lookout
Mr Marr told the jury when he woke at 08:00 the next morning his mate, Iain Clark, "told me there was an incident off Shoreham the night before".
Mr Marr said this had given him no cause for concern, and was unaware of his involvement until they docked at Grimsby.
He told the court if he had known of the incident "I would have taken immediate steps to assist in any way I could".
The trial continues.
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