The Bournemouth Crown Court has started trial over a crash incident in Poole Harbour, southern England, September 2017, when the Captain of the 50ft-long ferry ‘Maid of Poole’ reportedly crashed on purpose on a dinghy, injuring the driver, over a parking row, local media reported.
The 35-year-old ferry master was carrying passengers back from Brownsea Island, Dorset, onboard the ‘Maid of Poole’, when he found he was unable to moor in his usual space, due to a small rigid inflatable boat (RIB), who had disembarked to get fish and chips with two friends, The Telegraph reported.
Then, the ferry Captain sounded his horn as he tried to guide his vessel towards its berth, yelling at the 52-year-old dinghy driver to move his boat, according to court hearings.
However, once the latter jumped into the dinghy, he heard the ferry’s engine restart and found himself allegedly ‘rammed into the harbour wall’. The man sustained intense bruises on his hand and whiplash injuries. His dinghy was damaged.
The ferry master is accused of causing damage to a ship and operating a vessel in a way that could cause injury or destruction, but he denies the allegations. If sentenced, he could receive a penalty of two years in jail.
The dinghy driver said he feared for his life and supported that his instinctive reaction to physically push the ferry away was what saved his life.
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the prosecuting agency, was quoted as saying by The telegraph that the episode lasted between 10 and 15 seconds.
