Cheeki Rafiki was 'neglected' before crew drowned, court hears

The boss of a yachting company allowed a 'neglected' vessel to set sail before it capsized in the Atlantic leaving four people dead, a court has been told.

The four crew members of the Cheeki Rafiki, including two men from Somerset, drowned on its way to the UK from Antigua in 2014.

The yacht lost its keel when it got into trouble 700 miles from Nova Scotia.

Steve Warren, 52, and Paul Goslin, 56, both from Somerset, were among the victims of the sinking.

• Watch: what happened to the Cheeki Rafiki

The search for the yacht was initially called off after two days searching but it began again after the men's families lobbied the British government to intervene.

Douglas Innes, who ran the company Stormforce Coaching Limited, is standing trial on four counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

Winchester Crown Court heard he had chosen an 'unsafe' route for the Cheeki Rafiki to get it back in time for other bookings.

The prosecution told the court the yacht had been grounded three times in three years but had not been properly inspected.

Nigel Lickley QC said the Cheeki Rafiki was not licensed to sail solo more than 60 miles from a 'safe haven'.

He said that when Mr. Innes got an email marked 'Urgent' from the crew explaining the yacht was taking on water, he carried on drinking in a pub.

He received a telephone call directly from Andrew Bridge on the yacht saying the situation was getting worse, the court heard.

The prosecutor said the yacht 'hadn't been looked after considering the work it was required to do, months - in fact, years - of hard racing from early 2011 without from any point thereafter being inspected by an expert to ensure she was safe to use'.

Mr. Innes denies the charges against him.