Swindon man fined £20,000 after boat crashed into rocks

Ian Sullivan, from Swindon, crashed his motorboat in Totland Bay, Isle of Wight, in September 2022

A man has been ordered to pay £20,000 after crashing his boat on to rocks and seriously injuring three passengers.

Ian Sullivan, from Swindon, crashed his motorboat in Totland Bay, Isle of Wight, on 24 September 2022.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to a failure to keep a proper lookout and failure to proceed at a safe speed at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday.

In addition to costs, he was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.

He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard three passengers on board the motorboat sustained serious injuries when the boat hit rocks at the shoreline, with one of the crew suffering life-changing injuries.

Several witnesses reported the brightly lit motor cruiser had sped across the bay without deviating or slowing down before grounding on the shore at high speed.

'Friends seriously injured'

An extensive search and rescue response had to be made by the Coastguard, RNLI and police.

The seriously damaged boat has been impossible to salvage and remains marooned high and dry on the shore.

During sentencing, His Honour Judge Newton-Price said alcohol consumption had affected Mr Sullivan's judgement.

He said Mr Sullivan had operated his boat in an unsafe manner causing his passengers significant injuries.

Mark Cam, senior investigator with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team, said Mr Sullivan's boat "was wrecked and three of his friends seriously injured".

"We want to send a clear message that such offences are not acceptable and those unwilling to follow rules and regulation and improve standards of safety will face the full weight of the law," he added.