The British-flagged Mallorca-based Bayesian was due to return to her home port in September

The British-flagged Mallorca-based Bayesian was due to return to her home port in September | Reuters

Humphrey CarterReutersPalma29/08/2024 16:18
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The captain of Mike Lynch’s yacht flew out of Palermo today (Thursday) , 10 days after the British tech tycoon and six other people were killed when the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily. James Cutfield left the Sicilian capital on a private jet, an investigative source said, adding the destination of the flight was unknown. Cutfield, a New Zealander, lives with his wife in Palma, Mallorca. And the Bulletin understands that a private jet flew to Palermo from Palma on Wednesday afternoon landing in Sicily at 16.35.

Cutfield was put under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck earlier this week and declined to answer questions from prosecutors on Tuesday. Two other crew members were placed under investigation on Wednesday. Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow. Those facing investigation have no obligation to stay in Italy but have to nominate lawyers so that the authorities have a way of remaining in contact with them.

The British-flagged Mallorca-based Bayesian which was due to return to her home port in September, a 56-metre-long (184-foot) yacht, capsized and went down on Aug. 19 within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off northern Sicily. The sinking has puzzled naval marine experts, who said a vessel like the Bayesian, built by Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini, should have withstood the storm and, in any case, should not have sunk as quickly as it did.

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Italian prosecutors are investigating two more crew members from British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's yacht, along with its captain, in connection with the vessel's sinking. On Monday, the boat's 51-year-old captain James Cutfield, a New Zealander, was put under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck. Cutfield declined to respond to prosecutors during questioning on Tuesday.

Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are being investigated over the same crimes, the source said, adding that Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht's engine room and operating systems. Griffith was on watch duty on the night of the incident, the source said. He flew out of Palermo late on Wednesday, with the source saying he was heading for the French city of Nice.

Those under investigation have no obligation to stay in Italy but have to nominate lawyers so that the authorities have a way of remaining in contact with them. Four other crew members, who have not been placed under investigation, left Palermo, with two of them heading for Dubai and the other two travelling to Istanbul.