Nave Andromeda case dropped
CPS makes statement on discontinuation of hijacking prosecutions.
By Marc Allen, Maritime Direct UK.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has made a statement on the dropping of the case against two men accused of the hijacking of the Nave Andromeda in the Solent near Southampton on 25th October last year.
Joanne Jakymec, Chief Crown Prosecutor said: “…seven stowaways had made themselves known to the captain and crew and the vessel made unsuccessful attempts to dock in other jurisdictions. Initial accounts provided to UK authorities suggested that the crew had been threatened…”
Witness accounts did initially suggest that the Andromeda’s crew had been threatened but after formal interviews, the crew said they had not been either threatened or endangered, and a maritime expert’s report asserted that several factors cast doubt on whether the crew or ship were imperilled by the actions of the stowaways.
