Father and son deny boat death charges

A FATHER and son have denied manslaughter charges arising from the death of an Irish student who drowned after falling from their cruise boat in the US.

Joseph Shore, 64, and his son, Mitchell, 40, both pleaded not guilty to negligently causing the death of 20-year-old Catherine Kinsella from Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.

It was the cruise boat operators’ first court appearance since the tragedy off the Massachussets coast in July 2001, which sparked a protracted investigation by local police, the US Coastguard and the FBI.

The Shores face accusations that they served alcohol to underage passengers, failed to secure the broken railing through which Catherine fell and delayed alerting emergency services to report her overboard.

Joseph Shore, as captain and charterer of the boat, and Mitchell Shore, as a key employee are accused of carrying joint responsibility for her death.

Their decision to fight the charges will mean a lengthy trial potentially involving dozens of witnesses, including many of the young partygoers who were on the boat on the night.

Catherine was in the Boston area on a student working visa during her summer break from university in Dublin when the accident happened.

She was with a group of friends enjoying a day-trip on board the 60-ton cabin cruiser Sea Genie II when, according to witnesses, she fell through a broken section of safety railings.

There are claims and counterclaims over whether the railings were in need of repair before the trip or if they were damaged in a collision earlier in the evening.

Catherine’s inquest showed she was legally drunk or over the limit for driving when she drowned The Shores face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to €250,000 if convicted. They are due in court again in Boston on March 12.