Speedboat capt. could get 8 years in prison for fatal crash

The Public Prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of 8 years against Anoud H., the captain of a speedboat that killed two people when it crashed into another boat on the Vinkeveense Plassen in August 2014. The Prosecutor also wants his boating license to be suspended for 5 years, according to reporter Sophie Kluivers tweeting live from within the court room on Tuesday. According to the Public Prosecutor, H. acted recklessly and is thereby responsible for the deaths of Ernst Noordijk and Johan Koetje on August 2nd, 2014. A blood alcohol test was done on H. the day after the accident and the Netherlands Forensic Institute concluded that he was between 3 and 5 times over the limit. The Prosecutor therefor believes it proven that he was drunk. He was traveling at well above the speed limit of 6 km/h. H. himself claims he was traveling at between 17 and 20 km/h. 25 sailing tests performed by the detectives concluded that the speedboat was traveling between 39 and 68 km per hour when the accident happened. Several witnesses stated that the speedboat had no lights. And finally H. sped away after the accident, instead of staying to help. The Public Prosecutor therefore believes him guilty of manslaughter. ."Arnouhd H. glossed over multiple rules. He completely ignored them" the prosecutor said. "In now way did he take responsibility for his actions." The Prosecutor believes that an unconditional prison sentence is a fitting punishment. The trial against H. started on Monday. He admitted to traveling over the speed limit, but vehemently denies that his boat did not have adequate lighting or that he was drunk.