‘Captain Coward’ jumped off sinking Concordia: witness

A trainee officer on board the Costa Concordia when it sank off an Italian island last year told a court that the captain did not fall off the stricken liner onto a lifeboat as he claims, but jumped to safety.

“We found a lifeboat. I jumped on, (Francesco) Schettino had jumped on just before me,” Stefano Iannelli told a court in Grosseto where the captain is on trial for manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing the disaster which left 32 people dead.

His testimony would appear to corroborate accusations that the embattled captain — nicknamed “Captain Coward” by tabloid media — apparently headed ashore to ensure his own safety while terrified people were still trapped aboard the doomed ship.