Loved ones of four men lost at sea when the Cheeki Rafiki sank mid-Atlantic have made tearful tributes in court as the “cost-cutting” yacht company boss was given a suspended prison sentence for failing to ensure their safety. But the 43-year-old and his company, Stormforce Coaching Limited, were convicted at the first trial held in July 2017 of failing to operate the yacht in a safe manner contrary to section 100 of the Merchant Shipping Act and are to be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court. Innes, 43, stared blankly as he was given a 15-month suspended sentence by judge Mr Justice Nigel Teare, who said the yachting director's decision not to have the boat inspected amounted to a 'serious dereliction of duty'. Innes, of Southampton, had previously been cleared of four counts of manslaughter by gross negligence following a retrial. The judge, Mr Justice Teare, supported a call by the jury at the end of the trial, which sent a note calling for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to tighten up regulations. The judge, Mr Justice Teare, said: “Nothing the court can say today, and no sentence the court can pass today, can properly reflect the loss of four lives or the enormous tragedies suffered by the families of those who lost their lives.”

He told Innes that cost-cutting had motivated his actions and added: “The failure to have the yacht surveyed was a serious act of negligence.”

He continued: “This was a small yacht about to cross the Atlantic alone having not been independently examined for over three years. He added: “Nothing the court can say today and no sentence the court can pass today can properly reflect the loss of four lives or the enormous tragedies suffered by the families of those who lost their lives.”

The Cheeki Rafiki, named after a character in the Lion King, lost its keel as the crew were returning the 40ft yacht from Antigua to the UK in May 2014 when it got into trouble 1,000 miles from the United States. Cheeki Rafiki yacht manager cleared over death of four after boat capsized in Atlantic

Crew members – skipper Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham in Surrey; James Male, 22, from Southampton; Steve Warren, 52, from Bridgwater Somerset, and Paul Goslin, 56, originally from Torpoint, Cornwall, who also lived in Somerset at West Camel; skipper Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham in Surrey and James Male, 22, from Southampton. Fighting back tears, Adele Miller, girlfriend of Mr Male, said: “He was my best friend, the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with, the man I wanted to have children with, when James was taken away from me, my life crumbled.”

Claire Goslin, daughter of Mr Goslin, said that a “massive part of her died” with her father. She added: “Despite being a strong character, losing dad in this way has crushed me and I have to live the rest of my life with an emptiness that I can never fill.”

A statement read on behalf of Mr Male’s father Graham said: “He was the light and soul of the family, he was always smiling with a positive outlook that was infectious.”

Gloria Hamlet, partner of Mr Warren, said in a statement: “Life as I knew it when I was happy and fulfilled no longer exists and never will again, my life will always be overshadowed by a deep sorrow from the loss of Steve.”

Karim Khalil QC, defending, read a letter written by Innes saying: “To the families, I am truly sorry for the tragedy that occurred on 16th May 2014 resulting in the loss of your dear ones.
The owner of Cheeki Rafiki, a yacht that capsized in the Atlantic in 2014 with the loss of four lives, is given a suspended sentence in England for the accident. He was earlier convicted of operating the vessel unsafely but acquitted of manslaughter.