Captain of shipwrecked Costa cruise liner heads to jail

Defence lawyer Saverio Senese called the ex-captain a scapegoat and expressed “great bitterness” over the final decision.

He said Schettino, when told by phone about the verdict, said he respected the decision and was standing outside Rome’s Rebibbia Prison on Friday evening, ready to begin serving his sentence.

Senese said he would study the court’s ruling to see if there were grounds to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Lawyers for passengers have also expressed disappointment that only Schettino ultimately was going to prison, since they contended that others working for the cruise ship company also shared some blame.

“For our clients, a chapter has been closed,” said Massimiliano Gabrielli, a lawyer who represented some passengers. “We are sorry that the only one who will go jail tomorrow is Schettino.”

Some 4,200 passengers and crew were aboard the Costa Concordia during a Mediterranean cruise when the ship collided on Jan. 13, 2012, during dinner hour with the reef. The rocky reef speared the vessel’s side, allowing tons of water to rapidly pour inside.

Prosecutors argued that Schettino had steered the ship too close to the island’s coastline. They also contended he downplayed the severity of the crash, wasting valuable rescue time.

Some of the dead drowned in the sea, others perished in the ship’s elevator shafts when the vessel capsized and sea water rushed into the space. Some survivors were plucked to safety by helicopters after the liner overturned, while others swam to safety to the island in the dark, cold winter’s night.

The wreckage, raised in a dramatic engineering feat, was eventually towed to the Italian mainland to be broken up for scrap.

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Giulia Saudelli contributed to this report.

Frances D’Emilio, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Captain of shipwrecked Costa cruise liner heads to jail

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