Captain of Costa Concordia Sentenced to 16 Years for Manslaughter

Captain of Costa Concordia Sentenced to 

16 Years for Manslaughter 

Captain Francesco Schettino, the man who was at the helm of the Costa Concordia when the cruise ship hit a reef off of the coast of Italy in 2012, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to a little over 16 years in prison. 

The trial lasted 19 months and Schettino was found guilty of multiple counts of manslaughter after 32 passengers and crew members that were on the Costa Concordia died as a result of his actions. 

He was also convicted of abandoning ship and causing a shipwreck.  He left the ship before many of the over 4,000 passengers and crew members were still onboard.  

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 26 years and 3 months and called him a “reckless idiot”. Schettino was not present in the court when Judge Giovanni Puliatti read the verdict in the Grosseto Theater.  He previously told the court that he was being “offered for sacrifice” for the sake of the economic interests of his employer.

- See more at: http://cruisefever.net/0211-captain-of-costa-concordia-sentenced-16-years-for-manslaughter/#sthash.MkVk8BBG.dpuf