Shoreham sea deaths: David Marr did not see men in fishing boat

David Brooks Marr, 55, is accused of failing to keep a proper watch on board his vessel off the coast of Shoreham.

Four Romanian friends had hired a fishing boat called the James 2 and were left screaming for help as a wave from the Vertrouwen trawler engulfed their boat.

The sole survivor Elvis Cojocariu, 43, said he could see lights on in the cabin of the vessel, and said the men on James 2 tried to alert the boat heading in their direction near the Rampion wind farm.

Mircea ‘Mitch’ Ilie, 43, his brother-in-law Irinel Popovici, 41, and Traian Dumitrache, 51, drowned after their boat sank.

Their fibreglass boat was designed for inland waters only and did not have adequate lights or Radar reflectors.

The James 2 light vessel was used by the Romanian pals. Picture from MAIB

Marr has told a jury at Brighton Crown Court that he was not looking at Whatsapp messages at the time of the incident after midnight on August 6, 2017.

He told the court he had made repairs to the vessel, owned by fishing firm MacDuff, and had taken on the first watch.

Fishing vessel Vertrouwen.

With a crew of four, he put the Vertrouwen on autopilot as he left Shoreham on his way to Grimsby.

He attempted to send an email to fishing authorities, looked at the marine tracker app on his phone, sent a WhatsApp message, and spoke to a crew member within minutes of setting sail.

Prosecutor David Richard asked Marr: “Isn’t it the case, you set up the boat to sail herself while you went about doing other things.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Marr replied.

David Brooks Marr is accused of failing to keep a look out on board a vessel after three men in another vessel drowned off the coast of Shoreham

Asked if a second person would have helped to spot the James 2 before it was sunk, Marr said: “Certainly. In this short period of time, this tragic accident has happened, I don’t know if there was two of us there.

“It’s all ifs. We don’t know. I didn’t appoint two people to be on watch that night.”

Mr Richards said: “In the period before the sinking of the James 2 by the Vertrouwen, you were communicating with his friend Davey Watt, trying unsuccessfully to send the message, chatting with another crew member and checking on the engines.

“Who was keeping a lookout?”

Marr said: “Me. Everything is well alarmed. It’s no distraction.

“I’m there in case anything goes wrong. It’s me keeping a look out.

“That comes first. I never saw no cabin light, I never saw any light.”

Mircea Ilie, left, and Irinel Popovici.

Marr, of Towerhill, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, said he first went to sea aged 16 and has been a qualified skipper for 35 years.

He told the court he knew the Shoreham area well and fished the Channel regularly.

“I was keeping a look out by sight and hearing and scanning the area at all times,” he said.

Marr denies failing to set a proper watch on board his vessel. The trial continues.