The captain of the Bayesian has “exercised his right to remain silent” as he faced further questioning from Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking of billionaire Mike Lynch’s superyacht, according to his lawyer.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges and was questioned for the third time by the Termini Imerese prosecutors on Tuesday.
“The captain exercised his right to remain silent for two fundamental reasons,” lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti told reporters. “First, he’s very worn out. Second, we were appointed only on Monday and for a thorough and correct defence case we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don’t have.”
Being placed under investigation does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will necessarily follow. It is still unclear whether other individuals will also be placed under investigation.
It comes amid tributes for the owner of the British-flagged vessel Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, who all died in the disaster.
Key Points
- Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’, lawyer says
- Captain under investigation after sinking of Lynch’s yacht, judicial source says
- Timeline of the Bayesian luxury yacht disaster
- Tribute to ‘genius’ storyteller Mike Lynch
Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’ in manslaughter probe questioning, lawyer says
18:17
Andy Gregory
The captain of the Bayesian yacht chose not to respond to prosecutors’ questions as he was spoken to for a third time on Tuesday, his lawyer has said.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.
“The captain exercised his right to remain silent for two fundamental reasons,” lawyer Giovanni Rizzuti told reporters. “First, he’s very worn out. Second, we were appointed only on Monday and for a thorough and correct defence case we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don’t have.”
Being placed under investigation does not imply guilt or mean that charges will necessarily follow. Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio has said his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.
The Times reported one of Mr Cutfield’s lawyers as saying that the captain is “understandably very shaken up” after the ordeal last Monday.
Giselda Vagnoni has more in this report:
Who was on the Bayesian?
18:00
Alex Ross
The sinking of the Bayesian off the coast of Sicily made headlines across the world, with interest rising when it was revealed that British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among those onboard.
It then emerged that the boat trip was a celebration by Mr Lynch with friends, colleagues and his legal team after he won a decade-long legal battle.
Here we explain who was onboard the ship during the tragedy:
Why did the Bayesian sink?
17:00
Alex Ross
Hatches and doors left open overnight on the superyacht Bayesian may have caused it to sink in Italy, a sailing expert has said.
Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, believes the vessel’s huge mast is also likely to have contributed to the deadly event.
Mr Jefferson told the PA news agency: “I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.
“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.
“The reason it got pinned over so hard was because the mast is huge.
“It acted almost like a sail. (It) pushed the boat hard over on its side.
“(The boat) filled with water before it could right.
“This is all speculation, but that’s the only logical explanation.”
Bayesian now an ‘environmental bomb'
15:53
Alex Ross
Reports in Italy are emerging about the sunken Bayesian with divers from the coast guard beginning to film the wreck under the request of the prosecutor as the investigation gathers pace.
There are also concerns over the 18,000 litres of fuel and oil reportedly still on the boat.
Speaking to local outlet Corriere Della Sera, a fisherman said: “It is an environmental bomb at the bottom of our sea.”
Mass for the victims
14:38
Alex Ross
In case you missed it over the bank holiday weekend, a mass for the victims of the Bayesian tragedy was held in Porticello on Sunday.
Flowers were also sent into the sea as a mark of tribute to those who died.
Boat was ‘one of the safest in the world’
14:05
Alex Ross
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, an Italian luxury yacht maker. It featured the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres, but early reports that the mast broke in the storm have so far proven unfounded.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said the yacht was “one of the safest boats in the world” and basically unsinkable.
He alleged that the sinking was due to a chain of human errors given that the storm was expected. He made his assertions partly based on data from the Automatic Identification System. The captain and other crew members have not spoken publicly about the disaster and attempts by Reuters to reach them have been unsuccessful.
Costantino said that had the crew shut all doors and hatches, turned on the engine, lifted the anchor, lowered the keel and turned the yacht to face the wind, it would have suffered no damage.
He added that data showed it took 16 minutes from when the wind began buffeting the yacht, and it began taking on water, for it to sink.
Nothing wrong with the Bayesian being moored offshore - say coast guard
13:36
Alex Ross
The Bayesian was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it sank in the pre-dawn dark amid a very severe and sudden weather event.
Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said on Saturday the event was most likely a “downburst”, a very strong downward wind that is an intense but relatively frequent event at sea, rather than a waterspout which involves rotating winds like a tornado.
The coast guard have also said that given the weather forecast, there was nothing wrong about the Bayesian being moored offshore rather than at sheltering at port. Another yacht anchored nearby emerged from the storm unharmed.
Twenty-two people were on board, and 15 survived, including nine out of 10 crew members as well as Lynch’s wife, whose company owned the Bayesian. They were found on a life raft.
Six out of the 12 passengers died. Prosecutors, who have put the yacht’s captain James Cutfield under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, said the ship would have to be pulled out of the water before the investigation could be concluded.
Puzzlement over sinking
13:00
Alex Ross
The sinking has puzzled seafarers and nautical engineers, who have said that it should have taken hours for the Bayesian to fill up with enough water to sink it, making its swift demise incomprehensible.
There have been suggestions that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been inadvertently left open by the crew, or broken or smashed by the storm, letting in water.
Experts also wondered if the yacht had been moored with its keel up, potentially compromising its stability. The keel is a fin-like stabilising structure under the hull, which can be partially lifted to reduce the depth of the boat in shallow waters or harbours.
Prosecutors have said it was too early to comment on either hypothesis. They also said crew members were not immediately tested for alcohol or drugs because they were in a state of shock when rescued.
Captain of Bayesian under investigation - recap
12:00
Alex Ross
The captain of the Bayesian is being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck, a judicial source has said, as the probe into the sinking of the superyacht in a storm off Sicily continues.
Italian prosecutors have placed James Cutfield under investigation over the deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six other people, the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters on Monday, confirming earlier reports by Italian media.
Being placed under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will necessarily follow. Notices to people under investigation need to be sent out before authorities can carry out the autopsies on the bodies of the dead.
Mike Lynch’s wife leaves Sicily
11:30
Alex Ross
Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors of the sunked Bayesian.
Her husband and 18-year-old daughter Hannah, however, were among the seven people who died.
Many of the survivors have stayed in Italy as authorities try to work out what happened onboard ahead of the sinking last week.
But on Sunday, Ms Bacares reportedly left Sicily along with other survivors in a private jet.
Bayesian captain ‘deeply affected’ by ordeal
11:00
Alex Ross
James Cutfield, 51, the captain of the tragic Bayesian, faces further questioning from prosecutors in Italy today after he was placed under investigation for possible manslaughter and shipwreck.
One of his lawyers, Giovanni Rizzuti, told the Guardian on Monday: “Our client is deeply affected by this ordeal.”
“We are currently assessing, with other legal representatives, the defence strategy and examining the technical aspects of the case.”
What are investigators focusing on?
10:28
Alex Ross
Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched on Saturday.
He said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, and the yacht’s manufacturer.
The Bayesian, a 184ft (56m) British-flagged luxury yacht, went down near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy last Monday.
Investigators are focusing on how a vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” - a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
The crew were saved, apart from the chef, while six passengers were trapped in the hull.
Bayesian captain facing further questioning from prosecutors on Tuesday
09:18
Alex Ross
Prosecutors in Italy continue to investigate the captain of a superyacht that sank during a storm off Sicily last week.
James Cutfield, the 51-year-old New Zealand national who was captain of the Bayesian, was among 15 survivors of the August 19 sinking that killed British tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others.
Mr Cutfield is being investigated for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, said lawyer Aldo Mordiglia, one of two attorneys appointed for the captain’s defence.
Mr Mordiglia said Mr Cutfield, who already has been questioned, would be questioned again by prosecutors on Tuesday. He declined to discuss the strategy for the defence.
Under Italian law, being under investigation does not imply guilt and does not necessarily lead to criminal charges.
On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched.
New York lawyer who died in yacht disaster wrote haunting LinkedIn post weeks before
07:00
Andy Gregory
A lawyer who died after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily wrote a haunting post on LinkedIn two months before he joined the doomed voyage.
In one of his only posts on the site, Christopher Morvillo, 59, thanked his legal team after they helped British tech tycoon Mike Lynch win a fraud trial and discussed living “happily ever after.”
Graig Graziosi and Mike Bedigan report:
What is a downburst?
06:01
Jabed Ahmed
Officials said the superyacht had been hit by a downburst and the Italian officials said they would be looking at how it could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels, according to the translation of the conference.
A downburst is an intense burst of wind at ground level emenating from the strong downdraft of a thunderstorm; the wind often blows radially from a point source, as opposed to the rotating winds associated with a tornado.
Downbursts usually last just a few minutes, and can be particularly dangerous for aviation.
They have been blamed for a number of air crashes over the years, although the risk tends to be well forecast by meteorologists allowing pilots to avoid them.
Ex-court appointed guard says Mike Lynch ‘became more like a family’
04:59
Andy Gregory
A court-appointed armed guard, tasked with ensuring Mike Lynch did not abscond while facing fraud charges, has paid tribute to the tech mogul, saying the security team “became less of a detail and more like a family”.
Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah.
Mr Igno said he had the “privilege” of spending “almost every waking moment” with Mr Lynch while he was in custody in San Francisco, describing the detail as unlike any other he had ever worked and one that was “life changing”.
“As an executive protection agent, the number one rule is simple, don’t ever get close to the principal,” he said.
“They aren’t your friends, they’re a client and the relationship is strictly professional. But with Mike, that didn’t fly with him and for me that rule quickly dissolved.”
Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss
04:00
Andy Gregory
Why was Mike Lynch’s yacht named the Bayesian?
02:58
Barney Davis
Autonomy, the software firm which Mike Lynch sold in a £8.64bn deal in 2011, was a pioneer of business data analysis, using machine learning and what Mr Lynch called “adaptive pattern recognition”.
It used a statistical method called “Bayesian inference” at the heart of its software, devised by the 18th-century mathematician Thomas Bayes.
The yacht’s name, Bayesian, harks to the same model that was at the heart of Autonomy’s – and Mr Lynch’s – success.
How did Mike Lynch make his money?
01:59
Andy Gregory
Once dubbed the “British Bill Gates”, Mike Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares were valued at £852m in 2023 by the Sunday Times Rich List.
The 59-year-old tech tycoon is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy Corporation and had been in the headlines after he was cleared of charges in a high-profile fraud case.
My colleague Barney Davis has more details:
Watch: Captain details Bayesian sinking 'within two minutes' after rescuing survivors
01:00
Andy Gregory
In Focus | How the world of yachts got supersized
Tuesday 27 August 2024 00:01
Andy Gregory
The sinking of the 56-metre yacht Bayesian and the tragic deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his guests and boat staff have given the public a glimpse into the rarefied world of superyachts, writes Boat International’s Lucy Dunn.
From the sheer size of the mast (74 metres, roughly the size of seven two-storey houses stacked on top of each other) to the expense (Bayesian was put up for sale in 2014 with an asking price of $30m, which is around £23m), to the sheer luxury (the interiors were by Remi Tessier, the designer behind Claridge’s new penthouse), it’s a world few people normally get to see.
There are currently 12,626 superyachts on the water around the world with 1,166 superyachts in build or on order. If you have been to a Greek island this year, or maybe the Amalfi coast, you may have glimpsed them coming in and out of harbours and wondered who owns a yacht like that. Or who can afford to charter a yacht like that – which have an average price of around £180,000 a week.
While you may think of glossy influencers and A-listers, the superyachting fraternity is where millionaires are sorted from the billionaires from the centi-billionaires; the 0.001 per centers. Rarely will you find a celebrity with the financial clout to afford a yacht owned by Lynch, these are generally under-the-radar industry titans who don’t have household names.
So, what exactly makes a superyacht super? According to Boat International, where I work, it can be applied to any boat, motor or sailing yacht which is over 24 metres in length. Size, in the superyacht world, is everything – and yachts are getting bigger all the time.
Read the full article with Independent Premium:
Friend pays tribute to Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas
Monday 26 August 2024 22:58
Andy Gregory
Recaldo Thomas was the superyacht’s chef and the first person whose death was confirmed.
The Canadian-Antiguan national was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat. A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death.
She told The Independent: “He was a one-of-a-kind special human being. Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job.”
Bayesian captain to be questioned again on Tuesday, lawyer says
Monday 26 August 2024 21:53
Andy Gregory
James Cutfield, the 51-year-old New Zealand national who was captain of the Bayesian, is being investigated for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, said lawyer Aldo Mordiglia, one of two attorneys appointed for the captain’s defence.
Mr Cutfield, who already has been questioned, will be questioned again by prosecutors on Tuesday, Mordiglia said.
Under Italian laws, being under investigation doesn’t imply any guilt, and doesn’t necessarily lead to criminal charges.
Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed on Saturday that an investigation had been launched and that his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.
Watch: The moment Bayesian yacht was engulfed by storm
Monday 26 August 2024 20:19
Andy Gregory
Yacht ‘should have taken hours' to fill up with enough water to sink it
Monday 26 August 2024 19:22
Reuters
The sinking of the Bayesian has puzzled seafarers and nautical engineers, who have said that it should have taken hours for the yacht to fill up with enough water to sink it, making its swift demise incomprehensible.
There have been suggestions that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been inadvertently left open by the crew, or broken or smashed by the storm, letting in water.
Experts also wondered if the yacht had been moored with its keel up, potentially compromising its stability. The keel is a fin-like stabilising structure under the hull, which can be partially lifted to reduce the depth of the boat in shallow waters or harbours.
Prosecutors have said it was too early to comment on either hypothesis. They also said crew members were not immediately tested for alcohol or drugs because they were in a state of shock when rescued.
Bayesian sank from its stern, fire chief says
Monday 26 August 2024 18:01
Andy Gregory
The Bayesian sent its last signal before sinking via the tracking Automatic Identification System (AIS) just after 4am local time, according to the MarineTraffic website.
Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said a red flare alerting rescue services about the emergency was fired into the sky more than 30 minutes later.
The head of Palermo’s Fire Brigade, Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, said the boat sank from the stern and is lying on its starboard side at a depth of around 50 metres (164 feet).
Hannah Lynch was ‘one of the best English students in the country’, teacher says
Monday 26 August 2024 16:37
Andy Gregory
Hannah Lynch had just completed her A-levels and secured a place to study English at Oxford University.
Her former English teacher Jon Mitropoulos-Monk said she was “one of the best English students in the country” having scored 100% in her English Literature GCSE.
Patrick Jacob, a family friend, paid tribute to her on Friday, saying: “Hannah was charming and ferociously intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge. She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; remarkably for her age.
“I am 50 years older than her and in my life I have never met anybody like Hannah. We have lost one of our brightest stars whose future held so much promise. Her loss is unbearable.”
How Mike Lynch’s inner circle celebrated end of billionaire’s 13 year court battle
Monday 26 August 2024 16:02
Andy Gregory
After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mike Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.
Yet a week of sunshine along the Italian coastline would soon turn to horror after the boat capsized shortly before dawn, only offering those onboard a few minutes to get themselves to safety.
My colleagues Rachel Hagan and Jabed Ahmed report:
Prosecutors say powerful wind could have caused the Bayesian’s ‘extremely rapid’ demise
Monday 26 August 2024 15:43
Andy Gregory
Investigators are reported to be focusing on how the 56-metre luxury yacht Bayesian – a vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi – sank while a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed during the storm off the coast of Sicily last Monday.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” – a localised, powerful wind which descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
Prosecutors say no suspect identified so far
Monday 26 August 2024 15:00
Tara Cobham
On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched into the sinking of the superyacht but said a suspect has not been identified.
He said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, and the yacht's manufacturer.
Five found in same cabin while Hannah Lynch found alone in another, according to reports
Monday 26 August 2024 14:30
Tara Cobham
Five corpses were all found in the same cabin on the Bayesian while the body of Hannah Lynch was found alone in another, according to Italian officials.
The five people that rescue divers found together appeared to have gathered in the first cabin on the left of the superyacht in an attempt to escape, reported The Telegraph, while the 18-year-old was discovered in the third cabin on the left on her own.
Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, a senior officer from the fire service, said on Saturday: “The yacht tended to the right and obviously the bodies tried to go to the other side and take refuge in their cabins. We found five bodies in a cabin on the left and another one in the third cabin on the left. They were in the higher part of the shipwreck.”
Prosecutors describe Bayesian sinking as ‘extremely rapid’
Monday 26 August 2024 14:00
Tara Cobham
Prosecutors have described the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht as “extremely rapid” and suggested it could have been caused by a “downburst”.
A downburst is a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah were ‘part of a united, vibrant, loving family’
Monday 26 August 2024 13:30
Tara Cobham
Family friends of Mike and Hannah Lynch have said the father and daughter were part of a “united, vibrant, loving family” – with the teenager remembered as a “diamond in a sea of stars” and the tech mogul as a brilliant storyteller.
The pair were among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning.
Mr Lynch was the creator of software giant Autonomy and had been cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud related to its 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.
Ellie Ng reports:
Ex-court appointed guard says Mike Lynch ‘became more like a family’
Monday 26 August 2024 13:00
Tara Cobham
A court-appointed armed guard, tasked with ensuring Mike Lynch did not abscond while facing fraud charges, has paid tribute to the tech mogul, saying the security team “became less of a detail and more like a family”.
Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah, 18, after they died in the sinking of the luxury superyacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily early on Monday.
Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, and was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard, after a trial at a federal court in San Francisco, California.
Ellie Ng reports:
Bayesian captain insisted ‘we didn’t see storm coming'
Monday 26 August 2024 12:30
Tara Cobham
The captain of the Bayesian insisted he did not see the storm that sank the Bayesian last week.
Speaking of the storm, James Catfield, 51, said on Tuesday: “We didn’t see it coming.”
A judicial official, who asked not to be named, confirmed to Reuters on Monday the earlier reports in Italian media that the New Zealander was being investigated by Italian prosecutors after the superyacht capsized in a tornado off the coast of Sicily last Monday.
Mike Lynch had concerns over Lucy Letby conviction, says former minister
Monday 26 August 2024 12:00
Tara Cobham
Former cabinet minister Sir David Davis has said that Mike Lynch, the tech mogul who died when his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily last week, was planning to examine the murder conviction of nurse Lucy Letby over concerns about its safety.
Sir David, the former Brexit secretary, has previously told The Independent he plans to spearhead an investigation questioning the conviction of Letby after a number of experts cast doubt over her guilt.
Sir David said he hopes to visit Letby in prison as part of an investigation into whether the serial baby killer may be the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Letby is serving 15 whole-life sentences for seven murders and eight attempted murders of babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
My colleague Jabed Ahmed reports:
Mike Lynch’s net worth and how the billionaire made his money
Monday 26 August 2024 11:30
Tara Cobham
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning
The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy Corporation and had been in the headlines after he was cleared of charges in a high-profile fraud case.
He was on the boat, named Bayesian, which sank in bad weather in the early hours of Monday near the Sicilian capital Palermo.
My colleague Barney Davis reports:
Watch: Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss
Monday 26 August 2024 11:00
Tara Cobham
What the investigation is focusing on
09:49
Alex Ross
The Bayesian, a 184ft (56m) British-flagged luxury yacht, went down near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy last Monday.
On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed an investigation has been launched.
He said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, and the yacht’s manufacturer.
Investigators are focusing on how a vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” - a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
The crew were saved, apart from the chef, while six passengers were trapped in the hull.
Captain under investigation after sinking of Lynch’s yacht, judicial source says
Monday 26 August 2024 10:00
Tara Cobham
Italian prosecutors have placed Captain James Cutfield under investigation over the deaths of Mike Lynch and six others after the British tech tycoon's superyacht sank off Sicily last week, a judicial source told Reuters.
The official, who asked not to be named, confirmed earlier reports in Italian media that New Zealander Cutfield was being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck.
Bayesian was ‘built to go to sea in any weather’, says designer of superyacht
Monday 26 August 2024 09:57
Tara Cobham
A nautical architect that was part of the team that designed the Bayesian has said the superyacht was “built to go to sea in any weather”.
In an interview published on Monday in the daily La Stampa, Franco Romani also said it was likely the yacht had taken on water from a side hatch that was left open.
He added that the crew underestimated the bad weather and that they should have made sure that all openings had been shut and the anchor removed before the storm hit the boat.
Who was on the Bayesian?
Monday 26 August 2024 09:53
Tara Cobham
British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially unaccounted for after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.
On Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people, after a five-day operation that has seen divers carefully navigating their way into the cabin bedrooms.
After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.
My colleagues Rachel Hagan and Jabed Ahmed report:
Bayesian captain ‘deeply affected’ by ordeal
09:22
Alex Ross
As prosecutors investigate Bayesian captain James Cutfield over possible manslaughter and shipwreck after the ship’s sinking last week, we’re hearing more from his lawyers on him right now.
Giovanni Rizzuti, one of Mr Cutfield’s lawyers, confirmed to The Guardian that that he was facing further questioning from prosecutors on Tuesday.
And he said: ““Our client is deeply affected by this ordeal. We are currently assessing, with other legal representatives, the defence strategy and examining the technical aspects of the case.”
Superyacht captain under investigation following sinking, reports say
Monday 26 August 2024 07:25
Maroosha Muzaffar
Italian prosecutors have officially launched an investigation into James Cutfield, the captain of a superyacht owned by British tech mogul Mike Lynch, after the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily last week, resulting in the deaths of Lynch and six others, according to Italian news reports.
A 51-year-old New Zealand national, Mr Cutfield is being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck, the Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera said.
How billionaire’s superyacht trip to celebrate end of 13 year legal battle ended in tragedy
Monday 26 August 2024 06:28
Jabed Ahmed
Key questions for investigators of the Bayesian yacht tragedy in Sicily
Monday 26 August 2024 05:30
Jabed Ahmed
- Why weren’t passengers who remained on board the vessel warned about escaping from the yacht?
- Why were several of the passengers in one cabin?
- Why did the boat sink?
- Why were nearby vessels not similarly affected?
- What weather warnings was the Bayesian alerted to?
- How long will it take to recover the sailing vessel?
Full report: Manslaughter investigation launched after Mike Lynch’s Bayesian superyacht sinks
Monday 26 August 2024 01:35
Jabed Ahmed
A manslaughter investigation has been launched following the deaths of seven people onboard the Bayesian superyacht which sank off the coast of Sicily.
Italian public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, from nearby town Termini Imerese, said his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck. No specific suspects have been named, so far.
Read the full report below:
Mike Lynch net worth: How the billionaire made his money
Monday 26 August 2024 00:14
Jabed Ahmed
Tribute to ‘genius’ storyteller Mike Lynch
Sunday 25 August 2024 22:28
Jabed Ahmed
Susannah Gurdun, a close family friend of the Lynch’s from Suffolk, shared a series of heartfelt stories about Mike Lynch and who he was beyond being one of Britain’s biggest tech moguls.
Ms Gurdun told of his “thrilling ability” to explain difficult and complicated concepts in a way people could easily understand.
His wife, Angela Bacares, and his daughters were telling Ms Gurdun of his ability to “conjure beautiful stories out of thin air”.
The following evening, Mr Lynch told a story as the dinner plates were cleared about a hero, who was the same age as Ms Gurdun’s son, embarking on adventures in search of treasure. She called it “magical”.
She added that she was not surprised to learn that Hannah had begun showing “serious literary promise”.
Tributes to a ‘brave’ and ‘selfless’ friend who died on Bayesian
Sunday 25 August 2024 21:58
Jabed Ahmed
Friends of Recaldo “Rick” Thomas have paid tribute to their ‘brave’ and ‘selfless’ friend who was found in the water near the superyacht Bayesian.
“Rick could have jumped off and survived, I have no doubt about that. But he wouldn’t have left people on board and just swum away,” his friend Gareth Williams told The Sunday Times.
“I read that the first mate was quite young, Rick would have said to him, ‘Get off the boat, man
