A St Mary’s man has been found not guilty of manslaughter over his involvement in a boat crash in which a man was killed and two others injured.
Philip Colver, 32, was driving the 21ft speedboat Carrie Kate when it was in collision with a 15ft Dory driven by Benjamin Cochrane off St Mawes.
Mr Cochrane, 31, who was from St Mawes, died in the crash in July 2005.
The jury at Truro Crown Court also cleared Colver of a charge of grievous bodily harm against one of Mr Cochrane’s passengers, his brother Frazer.
When sentencing, Mr Justice Owen said it was to Colver’s credit that he “never sought to avoid responsibility for the death”.
“What the public should appreciate is that ‘do not drink and drive’ applies as much to power boats as to motor vehicles,” he said.
He added that he recognised Colver carried a “heavy burden of guilt”.
Colver admitted three lesser offences under the Merchant Shipping Act - driving at excess speed, failing to keep a proper watch and failure to exhibit navigation lights - and was sentenced to 150 hours’ community work.