The owner of a boat that smashed into rocks in the West Wight back in September 2022 has been handed a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £20,000 by a Judge. Following a joint investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, 55-year-old Ian Sullivan, from Swindon, pleaded guilty to failure to keep a proper lookout and failure to proceed at a safe speed under The Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996. It was on 24th September 2022 that the vessel ‘Sully’ smashed into rocks in Totland Bay, leaving the boat high and dry at the foot of the cliff near the Headon Warren viewpoint. Several witnesses reported that the brightly lit motor cruiser crossed Totland Bay at speed and would have been unlikely to maintain a proper lookout. The vessel continued without deviating or slowing down before grounding on the shore at high speed. The incident sparked an extensive search and rescue response, involving HM Coastguard, the RNLI and Police, as reported by Island Echo at the time. 
3 passengers on board the motorboat sustained serious injuries, with 1 of the crew suffering life-changing injuries. The collision caused serious damage to the vessel, which has proved impossible to salvage. It remains marooned high and dry on the shore. At a sentencing hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday), His Honour Judge Newton-Price said Sullivan operated his boat in an unsafe manner and as a result caused his passengers significant injuries. Consumption of alcohol affected Sullivan’s judgement, he added. Judge Newton-Price sentenced Sullivan to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, as well as paying a £20,000 fine. Speaking about the conviction, Mark Cam, Senior Investigator with the MCA’s Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team (RCIT), has said:
“This result demonstrates that the MCA will always take appropriate and necessary action when a complete lack of compliance and disregard for the laws of the sea are shown; it compromises not only safety but ultimately the lives of many. “Mr Sullivan’s vessel 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.”
