Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss
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Two more crew members from the Bayesian are under investigation for manslaughter after seven people died when the superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
It comes as the captain of the boat 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.
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Bayesian captain ‘exercised right to silence’ in manslaughter probe questioning, lawyer says
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.
Captain James Cutfield of the Bayesian (Facebook)
Athena Stavrou29 August 2024 05:00
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Ex-court appointed guard says Mike Lynch ‘became more like a family’
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.”
British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among those who died (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou29 August 2024 04:00
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Watch: Captain details Bayesian sinking ‘within two minutes’ after rescuing survivors
Captain details Bayesian sinking ‘within two minutes’ after rescuing survivors
Athena Stavrou29 August 2024 02:30
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In Focus | How the world of yachts got supersized
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.
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.
Giant masts, moon pools and explorer pods: How the world of yachts got supersized
The sinking of Mike Lynch’s ‘unsinkable’ sailing vessel was not only a heartbreaking tragedy, but also gave us a rare glimpse into the superyachting fraternity. Here, Boat International’s Lucy Dunn looks at a group that is both secretive and innovative, and asks how such a high-spec sailing yacht could have sunk at all…
Athena Stavrou29 August 2024 01:00
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Who is being investigated?
Three people are being investigated by the Italian authorities for manslaughter after the sinking of the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily.
On Monday, the boats 51-year-old captain James Cutfield, from New Zealand, was put under investigation. He declined to respond to prosecutors during questioning on Tuesday
Two British crew members are now also being investigated. Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are being investigated over the same crimes.
A source told Reuters that Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht’s engine room and operating systems.
Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.
Athena Stavrou28 August 2024 23:30
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Friend pays tribute to Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas
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.”
Tributes to Recaldo Thomas show him as a ‘one of a kind special human being’ (Facebook)
Athena Stavrou28 August 2024 22:30
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Why was Mike Lynch’s yacht named the Bayesian?
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.
(EPA)
Athena Stavrou28 August 2024 21:30
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Hannah Lynch was ‘one of the best English students in the country’, teacher says
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.”
(AP)
Athena Stavrou28 August 2024 20:30
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Bayesian captain insisted ‘we didn’t see storm coming’
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.
Athena Stavrou28 August 2024 19:30
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Mike Lynch net worth: How the billionaire made his money
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily.
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.
Once dubbed the “British Bill Gates”, Mr Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares were valued at £852m in 2023 by the Sunday Times Rich List.
He then went to Cambridge University and started his first business while studying for a PhD in signal processing and communications research.
Read the full story here:
Athena Stavrou28 August 2024 18:30
