MSC Virtuosa 'murder': Emergency 'call for help' blasted as man 'on stag do' killed in 'fight'
A Brit onboard a mini-cruise at the centre of a murder probe has described the moment an urgent call for help was issued onboard after a man in his 60s was allegedly killed during a stag-do brawl over the weekend.
Laura May Matthews, who was on the MSC Virtuosa cruise with her husband, said staff bravely sprung into action and erected a huge sheet along the deck - seemingly to shield the man from view - before an ambulance appeared at the bottom of a gangplank.
She told the Mirror: "My husband and I were sat in the Sky Lounge overlooking the deck 15 area when we heard the emergency call for medical assistance on deck 15. Shortly after that, we saw staff members valiantly trying to shelter off a section on deck 15 despite the inclement weather. A huge sheet was held up to prevent people seeing or passing on the starboard side. It went on for some time then was just removed."
Laura said an ambulance then parked up at the bottom of a gangplank in Zebrugge on Sunday morning upon disembarkation. She added: "It remained for some time, watched as we had breakfast, but with no obvious movement. During Saturday and Sunday, polite yet firm 'requests' were made over the public request system for a number of people to attend the public relations office.
"Monday morning saw a number of different people respond to these requests as we sat drinking coffee at the Infinity Cafe," Laura said. "The security people meeting them seemed professional and at times took people away. At this time we did not know what had happened. We assumed someone had died but no murder."
The MSC Virtuosa set sail from Southampton on Saturday evening for a two-night mini cruise to Bruges in Belgium, but hours in, an altercation is said to have broken out, resulting in the death of the victim, aged in his 60s. Since the ship was still in British waters when the man died, the Virtuosa turned back and docked in Southampton, where Hampshire Police boarded and arrested a 57-year-old man on suspicion of murder. The man, who is yet to be named, has now been released on bail, police said.
MSC Virtuosa offers guests trips to destinations like the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Norway for up to £2,000 per person. Hampshire Police said the man died on the cruise ship following an altercation at around 8.30pm on Saturday May 3, shortly after the ship left Southampton. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist police officers.
A passenger of the cruise ship believes the man was on a stag do, and an 'army medic' tried to save him by doing CPR. Lynda Hardiman-Pearce was onboard MSC Virtuosa when the incident unfolded shortly after the ship left Southampton at 6pm. Ms Hardiman-Pearce, who runs a catering business in Southampton, said there were "hen and stag parties causing chaos" on the boat. She added that she was on the ship for a trip to Zeebrugge in Belgium, and returned to Southampton this morning.
Ms Hardiman-Pearce said: "On Saturday night we were in a bar onboard and I was chatting to someone whilst waiting to be served He told me his son was an army medic and had tried to help by doing CPR on a guy that had collapsed but unfortunately couldn't revive him. Apparently, the [man] was on a stag do."
She described seeing five police officers at Southampton Docks when she disembarked on Monday (5th) morning. Ms Hardiman-Pearce added: "The cruise was full of hen and stag parties causing chaos. Since getting home we talked to our family, and they all said it didn't sound like any cruise they had been on."
Speaking on Monday (5th), Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: "We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident on-board, and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our enquiries. If anyone who was on-board has information that could assist, please contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary on 101 with reference 44250193676."
A spokesperson for MSC Cruises, which owns and operates the cruise ship MSC Virtuosa, said: "Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted, and we are cooperating fully with their investigations. We are providing full support to those impacted."
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