Marchioness sinking skipper fined for breath test refusal

Bowbelle captain's cargo ship conviction

- LUCY THORNTON and JEREMY ARMSTRONG

THE captain of the dredger that hit the Marchioness in 1989, sinking it and killing 51 people, has been fined for refusing to do a breathalyser test while on duty on a ship.

Douglas Henderson was arrested on a cargo vessel in Hull on July 21 last year.

It is believed police boarded the MV Velox after being alerted by a customs officer who suspected during a routine check that he may have been drinking.

He was later found guilty of failing to provide a specimen at a police station and fined £281 on September 11 at Hull magistrates court.

Henderson was acquitted over the Marchioness tragedy, on charges of failing to keep a proper lookout, after juries twice failed to reach a verdict.