A Whangarei charter boat skipper and the company he runs have asked for a sentencing indication from the Whangarei District Court on a charge relating to the death of a diver struck by a propeller.
Mark Andrew Barnes, 59, skipper of the charter boat Pacific Hideaway, and The Dive Spot,appeared in the Whangarei District Court yesterday charged with breaching the Health And Safety in Employment Act 1992.
The charges related to the death of Bruce Porter, 56, who was diving on the Pacific Hideaway boat on February 7 at the Poor Knights Islands, when he was struck by the propeller as he resurfaced. He died from his injuries. Mr Porter was with the Western Underwater Dive Club from Auckland, which had chartered the 16m catamaran.
Barnes, as skipper, was charged with failing to adequately warn of the dangers of the boat's propeller and failed to ensure the safety of people in the water from the propeller.
The sentencing indication will be delivered on January 29.
