The legal appeal of the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia has begun in Italy.
Francesco Schettino claims that he has been made the solitary scapegoat for the disaster which took 32 lives in 2012 when the cruise ship struck underwater rocks off Tuscany.
In February last year, he was sentenced to 16 years and one month by a judge who ruled that the accident has been caused by Schettino’s recklessness.
Schettino, 55, has not yet begun his sentence and is now seeking to avoid prison by having his manslaughter conviction overturned.
At the same time, the prosecution is also appealing about the 16 year sentence, saying it should have been 26 years.
The first trial saw the captain accused of showing off when he steered the ship too close to an island
He was convicted of multiple manslaughter, causing a maritime accident and of leaving his boat before all passengers and crew had been evacuated. His defence that he had “fallen” into a lifeboat as the Costa Concordia rolled was not accepted.
The failure to be the last man off the boat accounted for one year of the sentence, while manslaughter earned him 10 years with five for causing a disaster that led to the biggest salvage operation in maritime history.
The judges also ruled that the company must share civil responsibility for the disaster. The company accepted partial responsibility and agreed to pay a fine of €1 million and compensation of €7 million. Five of its employees, including the helmsman, were given non-custodial sentences after plea bargaining.
Under Italy’s legal system, Schettino was automatically granted an appeal and if he is unsuccessful he can try again at the court of cassation, the country’s highest court.
