Man killed on luxury cruise ship was 'on stag do' when 'chaos' broke out
The MSC Virtuosa left the port in Southampton on Saturday (May 3) for two nights, and a few hours later, a fight broke out in which a 60-year-old man died.
As the MSC Virtuosa ship was still in British waters when the death occurred, it returned to the UK and police arrested a 57-year-old man from Exeter when the ship arrived back at Southampton, Hampshire on suspicion of murder. The victim's next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist police officers, reports The Mirror.
Passenger Lynda Hardiman-Pearce told MailOnline there were several hen and stag do parties onboard "causing havoc". She added: "On Saturday night we were in a bar onboard and I was chatting to someone whilst waiting to be served. Apparently, the [man] was on a stag do.
"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." Cruise ship MSC Virtuosa berthed at City Cruise Terminal, seen from Mayflower Park, Southampton, UK
Reports suggested the men involved in the incident were part of a party of 20.
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."
A spokesperson for MSC Virtuosa added: "Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted, and we are co-operating fully with their investigations. We are providing full support to those impacted."
According to the MSC's website, the "Virtuosa's namesake comes from the word virtuoso, meaning someone highly skilled in any field of activity, and so MSC Virtuosa was named to pay homage to the skill and expertise of the MSC Cruises architects and shipyard partners at Chantiers de l'Atlantique who designed and built this innovative class of ships. A passenger said the cruise was "full of hen and stag parties causing chaos"
"MSC Virtuosa, along with her sister ships MSC Meraviglia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Euribia, belongs to the "Meraviglia Class", where the impressive array of onboard experiences come together in perfect harmony with the space and the destinations, to deliver the ultimate cruise holiday experience."
The Maltese-flagged vessel, built in France in 2020, measures 332 metres (1,089ft) long and boasts 18 decks, accommodation for up to 6,334 passengers and 1,704 crew. Virtuosa was due to arrive in Southampton at 6.15am and depart at 8pm.
The ship also boasts a 4D cinema, bowling lanes, a casino, a game arcade, and a Formula 1 simulator. Passengers can also visit a theatre hosting Broadway-style productions, as well as a lounge featuring Carousel Productions at Sea shows.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
My neighbour chainsawed my fence down during privacy row – the council approved my plans but I've taken extreme measures
Read on for more neighbour rows OF-FENCE My neighbour chainsawed my fence down during privacy row – the council approved my plans but I've taken extreme measures A WOMAN has been left raging after her neighbour chainsawed her fence down. Tamsin took to social media to share the nightmare feud she was having with her new next-door neighbour. 2 Tamsin Griff was stunned to see her neighbour had sawed down her fence Credit: TikTok/@tamsingriff 2 She decided to take extreme measure to ensure it didn't happen again Credit: Tiktok/@tamsingriff In the clip, Tamsin revealed she had just bought her first home and wanted to make the garden more private. But it seemed her neighbour had other ideas and wanted to keep the tiny 4ft fence that divided their outdoor space. She said: "When you buy your first house next to a neighbour who doesn't want privacy." Tamsin revealed that she needed the fence to be taller to make sure her dogs didn't escape. The council had come over to approve the high fence so she decided to go ahead with it. She decided to use small wooden panels and kept gaps in between them to ensure it didn't block her neighbour from getting sunlight. But one day she woke up to find the fence had been chainsawed down. Fuming over the action, Tamsin quickly installed cameras pointing to her fence before fixing it to ensure her neighbour didn't try it again. After fixing the fence, Tamsin decided to take extreme measures to warn her neighbour off from doing it again. While she was nice enough to leave gaps in her fence last time, she decided to take the privilege away and board the fence up. I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours for under £30 She added: "As you can see, before we left gaps of light to come through. "We didn't need to this I was just being nice and it still backfired. "So it will be boarded up until we can afford someone to build it back up properly." The clip soon went viral on her TikTok account @tamsingriff with over 400k views. People were quick to share their thoughts in the comments many claiming they would love a privacy fence from their neighbour. The Top Five Reasons Neighbours Squabble One study by Compare the Market revealed the top reason British neighbour's argue Broken fences - top of the board was broken fences and whose responsibility it was to fix it Parking: one of the leading drivers of neighbour disputes, with 54.1 per cent of people having issues with people parking in front of their house, parking bay or driveway Trees - complaints about a neighbour's tree cracking your garden path was also common with nearly half of participants finding it frustrating Bin wars - outdoor bin etiquette continues to ignite the most furious debates between neighbours Nosy Neighbours - some people have their eyes and ears at the ready to have a peek causing problems for others One person wrote: "Why does the neighbour want to look in your garden???" Another commented: "My neighbour could build a 20ft fence and I'd be cheering, the higher the better." "Elderly and chainsaw didn't come together in my mind! Hope it gets resolved and doesn't escalate"," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "Imagine getting privacy for free!!!!!! People are weird!" "Omg I'd be raging!' claimed a fifth Someone else added: "Every time you get it repaired send her the invoice."
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Brit woman, 61, dies after being hit by ‘drink driver' at pedestrian crossing in holiday hotspot
She was on holiday with her husband celebrating their wedding anniversary CRASH HORROR Brit woman, 61, dies after being hit by 'drink driver' at pedestrian crossing in holiday hotspot A BRITISH woman has died after being hit by a "drink driver" in a holiday hotspot. Lisa Di Palma, 61, from East London, was reportedly struck by the car twice while walking across a pedestrian crossing in in Fethiye, Turkey on August 6. She was rushed to hospital where she was treated for serious injuries to her hip and leg but tragically died at around 5am today. According to local reports the motorist was detained at the scene and was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. She was on holiday with her husband Keith Di Palma celebrating their wedding anniversary at the time. Prior to her death, Keith shared the news of his "lovely" wife's accident with the couple's friends and family. He said: "Good morning to all our friends and family. On Wednesday, August 6th, my lovely wife Lisa was involved in a horrific accident while on holiday in Turkey. "She has sustained multiple injuries and is now in the capable hands of medical services to begin the long road to recovery. "We kindly ask that you please do not send, tag, or post any images of videos of the accident that may be on social media. "It is upsetting enough seeing the damage this has done, let alone having to relive it through videos and photos."
Irish Examiner
18 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Racist attacks by young people in Ireland 'a national crisis', says special rapporteur
Racist attacks in Ireland have intensified in recent months, with teenagers and young people perpetrating the majority of incidents, the special rapporteur on racial equality has said. Dr Ebun Joseph, chief executive of the Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies, who is also the special rapporteur for the National Plan Against Racism, said that a rise in incidents of crime involving members of minority communities is becoming a national crisis. Recent attacks on members of the Indian community have been widely condemned. The Ireland India Council believes there is an organised social media campaign against the Indian community here and the number of violent attacks has intensified since January this year. A large crowd gathered outside the Department of the Taoiseach on Wednesday for a silent assembly in support of migrant workers. Dr Joseph said that racism and racial crime is not a "new thing" in Ireland. "It's been there. The black community, the Roma community, the new Traveller community have experienced racism in Ireland for years," she said. "This is not a new fight but in the last few months it has intensified. What is scary is that right now we have teenagers actually perpetrating these acts. Dr Ebun Joseph: 'What is scary is that right now we have teenagers actually perpetrating these acts.' File photo: Cate McCurry/PA "Young people are being made to think that violence against another person because of the colour of their skin or where they are from or their accent, that to feel that is right to do is a major problem. This is a national crisis." Shashank Chakerwarti, of Desi Community Against Racism, said the protest also honours the dignity of victims of racist attacks. "Another person was severely lacerated on his eyebrow just yesterday. His brow was cut into two pieces. Images of that sends chills down your body. "We want to send a clear message to the Taoiseach (Micheál Martin) that you need to control this teenage violence and criminal activity that is going on in Dublin. "There's been a lot of content directly taken from the British narrative, of migrants coming to Ireland via boats, but that is not the case. The far right are using that narrative and are applying it here which is completely incorrect." He said there is a severe frustration that some individuals are feeling, "especially in deprived communities and areas where you don't see a lot of investment and local services". They feel that third country people are taking their jobs and houses, but that is not the case at all. He also called for the Government to introduce a campaign to encourage people to report hate crimes. "We need to (educate) people on how to report racist crime, but there is no direct engagement with communities about this," he added. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy was among those to take part in the protest. He said it is important to take a stand against racist violence. "What we have seen on our streets over the past number of weeks is Indian people and others targeted with violent attacks because of the colour of their skin and where they are perceived to come from," he said. "We need to push back against those who are pushing the racist lies and propaganda which is creating an environment where these attacks are taking place." Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said that racism has "crept" into Irish society. "We are at the point now where it is quite normalised for people to be racist in what they say on social media," the Wicklow TD said. "It is important we have events and days like these where we stand and say this is not okay, it is not acceptable for racist attacks. There are racist elements who are allowed to say what they want without any come back. "Our health system would collapse without many migrant communities and having that conversation of the value of migrants and also reflect on Irish people who have been migrants, it's something Irish people are very familiar with."
