NSW: Keel builder acquitted over Excalibur deaths
01 Apr 2009 1:09 PM
SYDNEY, April 1 AAP - The man who built the keel of a yacht that sank off the NSW north coast killing four sailors has been found not guilty of their manslaughter.
Excalibur hit rough seas near Seal Rocks off the NSW mid-north coast as it sailed from the Whitsundays to Sydney in September 2002.
The crew tried to change the sails and head back to Port Stephens, but the keel split and the vessel overturned, tossing all six crew into chilly waters.
Only two of the sailors survived. The bodies of three were never recovered.
After a coronial inquest in 2005, keel builder Adrian Presland and his supervisor Alex Cittadini were each charged with four counts of manslaughter.
A NSW District Court jury began its deliberations on Monday morning and shortly after midday on Wednesday, they told Judge Stephen Norrish they had acquitted Presland of all charges.
They will continue deliberations over Cittadini.
