The Public Prosecution Service today requested a sentence of no less than five years in prison for the helmsman and sole survivor of the shipwreck that occurred on April 7, 2024, off Troia, in Grândola, in which four people died. At the Setúbal Court, the prosecutor requested two and a half years in prison for each of the four counts of negligent homicide with which the defendant, Manuel Coelho, 64 years old, is charged.
The defendant's defense lawyer considered that the four deaths occurred due to an "unpredictable wave," arguing that the necessary conditions for a negligent homicide charge were not met. The defense also alleged that the three adults who fell from the vessel with the impact of the wave also contributed to their own deaths by not swimming toward the wrecked boat.
One of the lawyers for the families of the four victims argued that the prison sentence should only be suspended if there is payment of the claimed compensation, amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros. Another lawyer recalled that at the time of the accident it was the peak of the ebb tide and that the victims could have done nothing to avoid being pulled out to sea.
During the trial, witnesses called by the prosecution stated that the shipwreck occurred in an area with sandbanks, particularly dangerous during low tide, and that forecasts of waves of 2.5 to 3.5 meters for that day advised against any approach to that location. The reading of the verdict is scheduled for 2:00 PM on October 9.
