Family of chef who died on Mike Lynch's yacht say ‘lessons need to be learned'
Seven people died when the Bayesian sank off Porticello in Sicily on August 19, including billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18.
On Monday the 56-metre (184ft) boat was placed in a manufactured steel cradle in Termini Imerese, a town where British and Italian investigators will carry out a full probe into the sinking.
A source close to the salvage team said: 'Everyone is glad to have reached the conclusion of this major part of the project.'
A crane lifts tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht the Bayesian (Peter Byrne/PA)
The family of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, 59, a chef who died on the vessel, said they now await the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)'s analysis of the yacht.
James Healy-Pratt, a partner at Keystone Law, on behalf of the Thomas Family, said: 'Lessons need to be learned from this tragedy, as well as establishing the truth of what happened and bringing those responsible to justice.'
Italian prosecutors have said raising and examining the yacht will provide key information for its investigation into the sinking.
Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, previously told the PA news agency: 'When the wreck is brought ashore, we'll be completing a full examination of the wreck and we'll be finding out all of the elements that might have contributed to the safety of the vessel.'
Further details such as 'escape routes' will be included in its final report on the sinking, according to Mr Graves, who added: 'Once we get access to the vessel we'll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.'
Seven people died when the Bayesian sank (Peter Byrne/PA)
Meanwhile, salvage workers are conducting a 'full sweep' of the seabed near Porticello for any potential debris, a project insider said.
Balloon-like kit will be used to lift the Bayesian's mast this week.
The 72-metre (236ft) mast was cut off using a remote-controlled tool and rested on the seabed.
About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter Hannah as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued.
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Scottish Sun
42 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Vid shows Disneyland Paris ‘wedding rehearsal' ahead of ‘marriage' of ‘confused' girl, 9, to Brit man before his arrest
Around 100 children aged five to 15, along with their families, were reportedly recruited as 'guests' DISNEY CREEP Vid shows Disneyland Paris 'wedding rehearsal' ahead of 'marriage' of 'confused' girl, 9, to Brit man before his arrest CREEPY footage has emerged of an alleged mock "wedding" between a British man and a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris. A video released by French network BFM TV shows around 100 guests seated during the £111,000 ceremony in front of the iconic Sleeping Beauty castle. Advertisement 7 Guests at the twisted mock 'wedding rehearsal' in front of Disneyland Paris' Sleeping Beauty castle Credit: 7 Lavish decorations are seen including flowers and a grand cake 7 The park rented out the iconic castle grounds to the organisers under the belief it was a genuine wedding Credit: Alamy Guests are seen waiting for what they had reportedly been told would be 'a chic and elegant' wedding rehearsal. In the video filmed on Saturday at dawn, a flower-covered stage, lavish décor, a grand cake and musicians can be seen. But what they witnessed next would leave them horrified - appearing on stage as the 'bride' was a nine-year-old girl. The child, reportedly of Ukrainian nationality, was carried out as she could not walk in the extravagant bridal dress. Advertisement Disney staff immediately called police upon spotting a "scared and confused" child in a big dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet, reports French newspaper Le Parisien. Disneyland Paris was reportedly deceived about the nature of the event, as reported by The Sun earlier today. The park said it had rented out the grounds of the Sleeping Beauty Castle under the impression that a genuine wedding rehearsal would take place - not an event involving a minor. The event cost the organisers $130,000 (£111,000), BFM reported. Advertisement The organiser is said to have assumed the "identity of a Latvian national", using "false documents to secure the conclusion of the contract for privatising the park", BFM TV reports. According to Le Parisien, the man, 22, had presented himself "as a future Irish groom living in Germany". French cops confirm husband killed wife then took own life in horror murder-suicide at holiday home Cops are said to have immediately arrested the "groom", who later insisted that the purpose of the ceremony was to create a video for social media. But Disney staff said recording is strictly forbidden, adding that "the man may have devised this subterfuge to obtain images of the park". Advertisement The girl's 41-year-old mother, reportedly Ukrainian, was also arrested. She said she wanted her daughter to feel like a Disney "princess" for the day, according to DW News. 200 adult guests and 100 children aged five to 15 were said to have been recruited online through ads describing a "chic and elegant" "rehearsal" wedding, Le Parisien reported. They were allegedly paid €200 each and told to "enter the room, sit down, stand up, applaud and participate naturally and elegantly in this event filmed in a festive and classy atmosphere". Advertisement A statement issued by the prosecutor's office in the local town of Meaux read: "Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24." A 55-year-old man claimed he was hired to play the role of the "bride's" dad for 12,000 euros (£10,266) - and only discovered her age at the event, local news reports. The prosecutor's statement added that "police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering". A criminal investigation has been opened, according to the prosecutor's office. Advertisement It added that a medical examination confirmed the child had not suffered any violence. 7 The man posing as the 'groom' claimed he was the director of a production company and they were shooting a video Credit: Instagram 7 A guest said they were left utterly 'stunned' when they realised the bride was a child Credit: Officials say they are still trying to understand the nature of the event. Advertisement The man posing as the "groom" claimed that he was the director of a production company and that they were shooting a video, a police source told Le Parisien. A witness, who said they had been a guest at the event, told the newspaper: "We all thought we were going to attend a wedding... "Everyone was stunned, no one expected it. Disneyland did things very well. "They cancelled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that." Advertisement Witness Yeleen, who attended the ceremony as a guest with her daughter, said: "I saw a little girl dressed in white. "I saw her hair prepared with curls and a lady picking her up in her arms. "At that moment, I was shocked. I realised when I saw the child. It was atrocious." The prosecutor's office said: "So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. Advertisement "They privatised Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding." They are set to appear before a judge at Meaux judicial court on Monday as part of a formal judicial investigation. 7 The iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle Credit: AFP 7 Around 12 million tourists are said to visit Disneyland Paris each year Credit: Alamy
Telegraph
43 minutes ago
- Telegraph
British man arrested for fake wedding to nine-year-old at Disneyland
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New Statesman
an hour ago
- New Statesman
Welcome to hot Palestine Action summer
A policeman spoke into his radio, a touch nervously: 'They've not got much space.' The occasion was Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's anticipated proscription of Palestine Action (PA) as a terrorist organisation. In response, the campaign group had called for an 'emergency mobilisation' outside Westminster Palace at noon today, 23 June 2025. Soon before that, though, the Metropolitan Police declared Westminster an 'exclusion zone', so the protest relocated to Trafalgar Square. But, as the square itself was fenced off for the dismantling of a stage from a weekend event, the protest was packed into the northeast corner of the square, outside St-Martin-in-the-Fields church, blocking the traffic on the Charing Cross Road for over an hour. Proscription would allow the police to use greater force when suppressing PA's activities. A moderately heavy police presence had issued from vans with recruitment appeals on the side. Some officers held cameras aloft, pointing at the crowd. Protestors filmed them back, as well as passing around boxes of face masks and distributing 'Bustcards'. Produced by volunteer group Green and Black Cross, Bustcards contain advice about your rights and the best course of action if you are arrested while protesting. For example, 'Say 'NO COMMENT' to all police questions during casual chats…For your protection and that of other people don't answer further questions.' Amnesty International said it was 'deeply concerned at the use of counter-terrorism powers to target protests'. Cooper's announcement follows two PA activists infiltrating Oxfordshire's RAF Brize Norton and tampering with two planes on Friday. Keir Starmer called the break-in 'disgraceful'. The Times estimated that Palestine Action has now caused £55 million of damage to military equipment. Other reports hold that the activists only spray-painted the jets, and that anyway they had just cycled or e-scootered into the base with no obstruction from any security. Protestors mocked the government's response on these grounds. One man's sign read 'Oh no I spilled some paint! Does that make me a terrorist?' He told me he had been on the same spot in 2003 to protest the Iraq war, and said 'It's ridiculous that Palestine Action, which has never killed anyone, is labelled a terrorist group. In that case the word terrorism has no meaning.' He wondered if any other non-lethal group had attracted the same proscription. Another man asked me, laughing, 'Are you a terrorist, sir?' More seriously, the first protestor said, the proscription was 'quite clearly an attempt to suppress pro-Palestinian voices… especially when this government has quite clearly contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Gaza.' To 'uphold the law', one sign insisted, was to 'stop the genocide.' Others echoed the sentiment: 'To us, terrorism is killing kids', 'terrorists don't spray paint they bom kids', 'Protest is a human right: protesting genocide is a human obligation'. One protestor, Alex, said he was supporting Palestine Action 'because they are fighting actively to stop this government colluding with genocide. We believe that the people who need to be proscribed, and counted as terrorists, are Starmer and his government.' The first eddy of confrontation came when the police forced two men to the ground to arrest them. One of them was elderly and appeared to be winded and quite dazed once he was brought back to his feet. Chants of 'shame on you' rose. The rest of the physical confrontation occurred as the police escorted these detainees to a corner and behind a cordon, then as they escorted them from the scene. I did not see the violence escalate beyond firm shoving, but several of those shoved were old or otherwise frail. One man shouted 'You can't just push me what the fuck are you doing?' Another, after arguing with an unreactive officer, said 'They're not human. They're dehumanised.' The crowd asked 'Who do you serve? Who do you protect?', jeered 'Oink oink piggy wiggy', and cried, most potently, 'Over a hundred thousand dead, you're arresting us instead.' Cooper made her announcement while the protest was ongoing. She said 'this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk.' A draft proscription will be laid before parliament next Monday, 30 June. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe There was a broad cross-section of people protesting, and I was told there is broad support for Palestine Action in the country. It was raised that 350,000 people in the UK marched for Gaza on the weekend and that Jeremy Corbyn, in both the general elections he fought, won more votes than Keir Starmer did when he entered Downing Street. So if we are past the longest day of the year, the hottest are still to come. One activist said, 'Whether you're fighting for benefit rights, whether you're an asylum seeker breaking the blockade of the channel coming here to fight for themselves, whether you're a refugee, whether you're a worker, a public sector worker on low pay. There's a spirit of rebellion and it's coming together. This summer is going to be a very hot summer.' [See also: The British Left will not follow Trump into war] Related
