The Times - UK (2022-02-03)

the times | Thursday February 3 2022 2GM 23

News

The skipper of a speedboat that crashed
and killed a schoolgirl has appeared in
court charged with her manslaughter.
Michael Lawrence, 54, was in charge
of a trip on Southampton Water. Emily
Lewis, 15, died from her injuries after
the vessel hit a five-tonne navigation

Speedboat skipper accused of manslaughter after girl, 15, killed

buoy. The schoolgirl, who was on board

with her mother Nikki, father Simon

and older sister Amy, who was 19 at

the time, was among 11 people taken

to hospital.

Emily, from Park Gate, near South-

ampton, died in hospital on the day of

the crash from chest injuries. Her

mother and sister are understood to

have each suffered a broken arm.

Lawrence, from Blackfield, Hamp-

shire, appeared at Southampton magis-

trates’ court yesterday.

Michael Howley, owner of Seadogz

Rib Charter, which ran the trip, is

charged with “failing to take all reason-

able steps to secure the boat operated

in a safe manner”.

Both face trial at Winchester crown

court this year.

Images released by the Marine Acci-

dent Investigation Branch as part of an

interim report showed the moment the

boat hit the buoy on the morning of

August 22, 2020.

All passengers, apart from one, suf-

fered injuries including broken limbs,

fractured vertebrae, dislocations and a

punctured lung.

Two were thrown overboard from

the Seadogz boat. Emily, who was sit-

ting on a middle bench seat, suffered a

catastrophic injury.

The interim report said that the

Seadogz boat had “collided with the

northwest Netley buoy”. It said the

vessel was travelling at a speed of

38 knots (44mph).

A hearing date has been set for

March 2, when a trial date could be set.

Will Humphries
Southwest Correspondent

A Marks & Spencer shopper has de-
scribed how her handbag strap saved
her life when an alleged terrorist’s knife
snapped on it as he attacked her.
Munawar Hussain, 58, stabbed the
store’s manager and a customer during
an attack in revenge for what he be-
lieved was the store’s support for Israel,
Manchester crown court was told.
The attack was ended only by an
“incredible stroke of luck”, Alex Leach
QC, for the prosecution, said.
Janet Dell told the court that she had
arrived to do her Christmas shopping
on the day the shop opened after Covid
curbs were eased in December 2020. In
a recorded interview, she described see-
ing Samantha Worthington, the man-

A killer who stabbed his former partner
and her autistic son to death because he
feared that autism was contagious was
jailed for life yesterday.
Daniel Boulton, 30, who led police on
a 24-hour manhunt after the attack,
was ordered to serve a minimum term
of 40 years for the murders of Bethany
Vincent, 26, and her nine-year-old son,
Darren Henson, at their home in
Lincolnshire in May last year.
A court was told that Boulton, who
was the subject of a restraining order
after a complaint by Vincent, devel-
oped a “hatred” for the boy and feared
the autistic youngster’s condition
would affect his own son.
Boulton walked 28 miles from
Skegness to Louth to carry out the
attack. He “loitered for hours” outside
his victims’ home and “calmly, callously
and efficiently” stabbed Vincent and
Darren while his own nine-month-old
child remained unharmed.
At Lincoln crown court Mr Justice
Pepperall told the killer that there was
a chance he would never be released.
“I’m sure that you targeted [her
son] because of your hatred and you
were motivated by his autism,” he said.
“I’m sure that you are a violent
and very dangerous man, and
you present an ongoing risk of
further violence, and possibly
even homicide. You killed
with ruthless efficiency very
soon after breaking into the
house. You acted calmly,

Handbag stopped knife attack

ager, being chased by an Asian man in

a cream-coloured tunic and prayer cap.

“She passed by me. I was trying to

register what was going on but within

seconds he’s turned and I felt some-

thing go in my arm. There was a sting-

ing sensation and I thought, has he just

stabbed me?”

After swinging at her again, the at-

tacker ran off and Dell noticed the

blade sticking in the strap. She had been

stabbed in her left forearm.

Worthington said in her recorded

evidence: “I thought, I’ve got three kids

and he’s not taking me away from my

kids. I just had to get away.”

She was taken to Royal Preston Hos-

pital where she was treated for a col-

lapsed lung and a neck wound.

Hussain denies attempted murder.

The trial continues.

Boy’s murderer

feared autism

was infectious

George Sandeman

John Simpson Crime Correspondent
Duncan Gardham

callously and efficiently... you intend-

ed to kill, you knew precisely what you

were doing.”

The judge added: “You said many

times to a number of different people

that you wanted him dead and out of

the way.”

Boulton’s nine-month-old child was

seen crawling around the house when

the emergency services arrived.

The court was told that the killer later

left a note saying that he took responsi-

bility.

Boulton led the police on a hunt until

the following day, when he stabbed

an off-duty police officer in the leg in

the Hubbard’s Hills area of Louth

before being tasered and arrested on a

farm.

When the judge said the defendant

might never be released, people in the

public gallery could be heard saying

“Yes.”

Boulton claimed that he was on

“autopilot” at the time of the murders,

but the jury dismissed his defence of

loss of control.

On the second day of his trial he

admitted manslaughter as well as

assault with intent to resist arrest and

burglary, but denied murder.

The jury was told that the relation-

ship between Boulton and Vincent,

which had begun on the Tinder

dating app, had “deteriorated” by

the end of March 2019 and he

had been ordered not to con-

tact her. However, Boulton had

sent Vincent nearly 900 messa-

ges over the weekend before

the murders, including one that

said: “You destroyed my life and

have the cheek to say that I

ruined yours.”

COVER AND COVER STORY: BY LYNN HIRSCHBERG, PHOTOGRAPHED BY TIM WALKER, STYLED BY SARA MOONVES

W

ith a

goatee,

bucket

hat and

tinted

glasses, Benedict

Cumberbatch could

comfortably blend into a

1990s-themed fancy dress

party (Jack Malvern

writes).

The actor’s portrait

made the cover of W

magazine, leaving some

wondering whether he

was impersonating the

television character Ali G.

Cumberbatch told

Times Radio that critics

of the look were welcome

to their views but could

keep them to themselves.

“I’d love to know what

their version of a good

photograph would be,”

he said.

The image was taken

by Timothy Walker,

who got

Cumberbatch to

wear a pencil

behind his

ear and

hold a

sprig of

daisies.

The actor, who

is promoting his

film The Power of the

Dog, a contender for

awards, said he would “do

anything” for the

“extraordinary,

imaginative” Walker.

“You won’t be seeing

me walking around in a

Fendi bucket [hat], or

whatever it was,

anytime soon... But

I’d do anything for

Tim, I really

would.”

He said the

last time he

appeared

in W he

posed

with

Keira Knightley, his co-

star in The Imitation

Game, in a “very stylised

Andy Warhol-esque

shoot”, adding: “I find it

very freeing to go right,

fine, I’m just

surrendering myself to an

artist’s concept.”

He played down the

prospect of winning a

Bafta or Oscar for The

Power of the Dog. “I

mean, ultimately, if that

happens it just means

that the film stays in the

conversation for a bit

longer. And that means

more people will see it

and I’m very, very happy

about that for anyone

who hasn’t discovered it

yet to go to it.”

Keep Ali G

comments to

yourself, says

Cumberbatch

Daniel Boulton
walked 28 miles to
carry out the attack

The actor was not

aping Ali G, left