Two men charged over death of Southampton 15-year-old girl in inflatable boat crash in the Solent

Two men have been charged in connection with the death of a 15-year-old girl who was injured in a sightseeing boat crash in the Solent.

Emily Lewis was among 12 people taken to hospital after the rigid inflatable boat (RIB) collided with a buoy on August 22, 2020.

Michael Lawrence, 54, who was driving the boat, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

Michael Howley, 51, the owner of the company which operated the boat trip, has been charged with failing to take all reasonable steps to secure that the boat was operated in a safe manner.

The pair will appear at Southampton Magistrates' Court on February 2.

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: "The CPS has today authorised Hampshire Constabulary to charge two men in relation with the death of Emily Lewis, 15, who was in a boat which struck a buoy in Southampton Water on 22 August 2020.

An inquest which opened into Emily's death, heard she was taken to Southampton General Hospital where she died, despite attempts to save her life.

A report released by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) revealed that the RIB crashed into the North-West Netley buoy in Southampton Water.

The inquest hearing was told that Emily, was accompanied to hospital by her father, Simon Lewis, from the Park Gate area of Southampton.

It is understood that Emily's father, mother Nikki and 19-year-old sister Amy were also on the boat, and that both her mother and sister suffered broken arms.

The family said in a statement released previously through Hampshire Police: "We are all in shock that our beautiful daughter and sister is no longer with us, and words just don't seem available to express our deep sense of loss."