Condor Vitesse crash prosecutor to appeal for jail term

Phillippe Lesaulnier, who was married with four children, died instantly in the collision

The prosecutor who called for the captain and first officer of the Condor Vitesse to be jailed for manslaughter is to appeal their suspended sentences.

Paul Le Romancer and Yves Tournon were found guilty of the manslaughter of Philippe Lesaulnier earlier this month after a court hearing in Normandy.

The French skipper was killed instantly when the ferry crashed into his boat in thick fog in Jersey waters in 2011.

Renaud Gaudeul wants the pair to serve 12 and six month sentences.

The former Condor officers were given suspended sentences of 18 and 12 months respectively.

Mr Lesaulnier's family expressed their anger at the sentences handed down on 11 September.

Delphine Lesaulnier, his widow, said at the time: "They killed my husband and they are free today to do the same thing again.

Sliced in two

"They were in charge of a massive ferry and they smashed into my husband's small boat. It was as though a lorry had hit a scooter on the motorway."

The fatal collision occurred off the Minquiers reef, east of Jersey, on 28 March, 2011.

The court was told the ferry, which was travelling at about 45mph (38 knots), was travelling too fast for the conditions when it hit the 30ft (9.1m) fishing boat Les Marquises, slicing it in two.

A French marine accident investigation report pointed to recordings from the ferry's black box which revealed the captain and crew had been chatting about a TV film featuring Catwoman.

The report said the men failed to notice a blip on the Condor's radar screen that should have alerted them to the presence of the fishing boat in their path as they approached it.

Condor Ferries is not facing criminal prosecution but a civil court hearing in December will hear claims for compensation against the company.