Boat owner jailed after fishermen die of carbon monoxide poisoning on vessel
The owner of a boat on which two fishermen died of carbon monoxide poisoning has been jailed for 15 months.
Mark Arries, 26, and Edward Ide, 21, were found dead on the fishing vessel Eshcol as it was moored in Whitby harbour, North Yorkshire, in January 2014.
The pair were using a gas cooker to warm the boat overnight as they slept.
Boat owner Timothy Bowman-Davies admitted failing to ensure that the ship was operated safely and that work equipment was maintained efficiently was aware that the crew were using the cooker as a heating source.
But the 44-year-old from Haverford West, Pembrokeshire, told Leeds Crown Court he did not know the men were using the cooker as a heater.
On Wednesday Judge Tom Bayliss QC rejected this basis of plea and jailed the defendant for 15 months.
He said: "Two men have died. Those who employ others and whose actions create a risk of harm must take the consequences when harm results, such as here."
