A father and son who ran a tourist cruise ship pleaded guilty in a Massachusetts court yesterday to the manslaughter of a Wicklow student who fell overboard on a cruise in 2001.
The US attorney's office in Massachusetts recommended that Joseph Shore (65) and his son, Cord Mitchell Shore (41) serve a sentence of up to six months for criminal negligence in the death of 20-year-old Catherine Kinsella.
Ms Kinsella, an aspiring teacher from Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, fell through a broken rail on the Sea Genie II and drowned after repeatedly calling for help.
The conviction follows a townhall meeting in Barnstable near Hyannis, Massachusetts, in which participants on the cruise spoke of negligence by the two accused.
They are the first people to be convicted under the state's Marine Manslaughter Act, which holds crews criminally responsible for negligence that leads to the death of passengers.
The Barnstable town attorney, Mr Robert Smith, said yesterday he was relieved that the two were pleading guilty.
"I am not someone who wants retribution, but I am very relieved that this case has not been swept under the carpet. My thoughts go out to Ms Kinsella and her family," he said, recalling emotional testimony from witnesses during town hall hearings about the vessel.
The pair had been charged under a "seaman's manslaughter" statute with "negligence, misconduct and inattention".