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Trawler owner criticised after snubbing inquest
The owner of a fishing trawler which sank with the loss of seven men risked being labelled a "hypocrite" and a "coward", a coroner said yesterday.
Adjourning the inquest into the Solway Harvester tragedy nearly seven years ago, Isle of Man Coroner Michael Moyle was criticising the refusal of Richard Gidney to attend.
The five-day inquest was postponed for 14 days to give Mr Gidney one final chance to reconsider his position.
Last year Mr Gidney's manslaughter trial collapsed when the court found he had no case to answer.
The Solway Harvester went down in stormy seas off the Manx coast in January 2000.
Skipper Craig Mills, 29, Robin Mills, 33, David Mills, 17, Martin Milligan, 26, John Murphy, 22, David Lyons, 18, and Wesley Jolly, 17, lost their lives.
All the men were from the village of the Isle of Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway.
Mr Moyle told the Isle of Man Courts of Justice that he could not say with "absolute certainty" he had been misled, but he wished to make known his "concern and displeasure" at the way in which Mr Gidney's attendance had been dealt with.
He said that after numerous emails and letters to Mr Gidney's solicitors, the vessel owner finally agreed in July to attend the hearing.
However, last month Mr Gidney indicated it was "unlikely" that he would go to the Isle of Man. When asked whether he would give any evidence by video link, Gidney said he had received legal advice that he could not because it could "prejudice a civil claim".
He drew attention to the way Mr Gidney had been willing to talk to the Press in which he said his thoughts were with the families of the crewmen.
He said of the men's families: "In their view it might be difficult for Mr Gidney to avoid being labelled, not only a hypocrite, but a coward."
He added: "In many ways I regret we have not been able to present our case and I feel it would have exonerated Craig Mills and his crew for any blame for this tragedy."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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