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Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Luxury cruise passengers seen partying hours before grandad died on stag do
A man has been released on bail on suspicion of manslaughter after grandad James Messham died on the cruise to Belgium - shocked tourists say they had no idea a passenger had died New footage shows crowds partying on a luxury cruise liner just hours before a grandfather was 'killed on a stag do' aboard the ship - and passengers say they were never told of the death. James Messham, from West Sussex, was reported dead two-and-a-half hours after the MSC Virtuosa departed from Southampton on Saturday, May 3. A 56-year-old man from Richmond, London, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, according to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. Shocked tourists on the cruise have described the hours before and after his death. A passenger on board a cruise ship where a man is suspected to have been murdered has described the behaviour of other guests as 'carnage'. The 21-year-old, who does not want to be named, but who we will call Claire, told The Mirror that fighting began as soon as she boarded the MSC Virtuosa ship with her boyfriend who was celebrating his birthday. And she claims it continued throughout the two day return cruise from Southampton to Belgium. She told The Mirror: 'It was full of stag and hen do's that just made the boat really rowdy. We got on the boat the first day about 2pm and it was all sunny and we went to the pool but you could already see fights breaking out. 'We got to the pool about 3pm and people who were already on the boat were in drunken arguments and scraps. We were sat quite far back and all of a sudden you would hear cheering and chanting and you would look over and see people fighting. 'The bar staff were still serving people to the point they were paralytically drunk, it was just carnage.' A 57-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder of a 60-year-old passenger James Messham. Tragic James, who has been described as a 'lovely' grandfather ran a motorcycle stunt show and was reportedly on a stag do when he was killed in an 'altercation'. Mr Messham is understood to have been travelling with relatives who helped him run popular motorbike stunt show the Wall of Death. Joby Carter described him as a 'proper gent' who was part of Carter's Steam Fair until around eight years ago. He said: 'I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news. He was a legend. 'We used to travel Carter's Steam Fair. He approached us because he had a wall of death and wanted to travel with us. 'We always got along with him. He was a proper gent, salt of the earth. 'You knew if you had a problem he would come and help you any time day or night. The incident happened just two hours after the ship left port but according to Claire passengers were not informed anything had happened. She said: ''It is just so strange to us. They had a body and the murder suspect on the boat for two days and did not tell us a thing, we were only two and a half hours away from Southampton when it happened, why didn't we just turn back and get them off? 'It is so unnerving to know we spent the entire voyage with both those people still onboard.' Mr Messham's death was the second tragedy onboard MSC Virtuosa in a matter of months. Colombian national Jessica Andrea Gómez Granda, 28, died after falling overboard near the Channel Islands in October. The ship is used to film Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder starring X Factor winner Shayne Ward. An MSC spokesperson 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 and thoughts are with the family and friends at this difficult time.'
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Cruise ship passenger describes drunken 'carnage' before grandad died on stag do
Police are investigating the death of James Messham who died after a fight broke out on the MSC Virtuosa, but a passenger on the fateful cruise says the violence began from the moment people boarded A passenger on board a cruise ship where a man is suspected to have been murdered has described the behaviour of other guests as 'carnage'. The 21-year-old, who does not want to be named but who we will call Claire, told the Mirror that fighting began as soon as she boarded the MSC Virtuosa ship with her boyfriend who was celebrating his birthday. And she claims it continued throughout the two day return cruise from Southampton to Belgium. She told the Mirror: 'It was full of stag and hen dos that just made the boat really rowdy. We got on the boat the first day about 2pm and it was all sunny and we went to the pool but you could already see fights breaking out. 'We got to the pool about 3pm and people who were already on the boat were in drunken arguments and scraps. We were sat quite far back and all of a sudden you would hear cheering and chanting and you would look over and see people fighting. The bar staff were still serving people to the point they were paralytically drunk, it was just carnage.' A 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the murder of a 60-year-old grandfather. Tragic James Messham, who has been described as a 'lovely' grandfather, ran a motorcycle stunt show and was reportedly on a stag do when he was killed in an 'altercation'. The suspect has since been released on bail. Mr Messham is understood to have been travelling with relatives who helped him run popular motorbike stunt show the Wall of Death. Joby Carter described him as a 'proper gent' who was part of Carter's Steam Fair until around eight years ago. He said: 'I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news. He was a legend. We used to travel Carter's Steam Fair. He approached us because he had a wall of death and wanted to travel with us. 'We always got along with him. He was a proper gent, salt of the earth. You knew if you had a problem he would come and help you any time day or night." The incident happened just two hours after the ship left port, but according to Claire passengers were not informed anything had happened. She said: 'It is just so strange to us. They had a body and the murder suspect on the boat for two days and did not tell us a thing, we were only two and a half hours away from Southampton when it happened, why didn't we just turn back and get them off? It is so unnerving to know we spent the entire voyage with both those people still onboard.' Mr Messham's death was the second tragedy onboard MSC Virtuosa in a matter of months. Colombian national Jessica Andrea Gómez Granda, 28, died after falling overboard near the Channel Islands in October. The ship is used to film Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder starring X Factor winner Shayne Ward. An MSC spokesperson 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 and thoughts are with the family and friends at this difficult time.'
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Grandad, 60, ‘murdered' hours after leaving UK on stag do cruise is pictured – as pals pay tribute to ‘proper gent'
Police arrested a 57-year-old man when the ship returned to Southampton CRUISE TRAGEDY Grandad, 60, 'murdered' hours after leaving UK on stag do cruise is pictured – as pals pay tribute to 'proper gent' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A GRANDAD who was allegedly murdered just hours into a stag do cruise to Belgium has been remembered as a 'legend'. James Messham, 60, died following an 'altercation' on board the MSC Virtuosa around 8.30pm on Saturday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 James Messham died following an 'altercation' on board a cruise ship on Saturday Credit: Facebook 4 The tragedy took place hours after the MSC Virtuosa set sail for Bruges Credit: MSC Rights The luxury ship was still in British waters after leaving Southampton, Hants, at 6pm enroute to Bruges. Police arrested a 57-year-old man from Exeter on suspicion of murder when the two-night cruise returned on Monday. Mr Messham is understood to have been travelling with relatives who helped him run popular motorbike stunt show the Wall of Death. Joby Carter described him as a 'proper gent' who was part of Carter's Steam Fair until around eight years ago. He said: 'I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news. He was a legend. 'We used to travel Carter's Steam Fair. He approached us because he had a wall of death and wanted to travel with us. 'We always got along with him. He was a proper gent, salt of the earth. 'You knew if you had a problem he would come and help you any time day or night. 'He was such a trier and did really well in the haulage business as well. 'Travelling the Wall of Death is a labour of love. You've got to love it. Holidaymaker, 60, killed in 'fight' on luxury cruise ship hours after leaving UK as man, 57, arrested over 'murder' "They stopped travelling with us about eight years ago. I still spoke to him a couple of times a year. 'You couldn't watch that show without the hairs on your arms coming up.' An on-board army medic is believed to have treated stunt performer Mr Messham, who also rode motorbikes as part of the daredevil show. His family in Sussex were too upset to speak - but some relatives have posted touching pictures in memory of their dad on Facebook. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary released the arrested suspect on bail on Tuesday afternoon. Among shocked guests was Traitors winner Harry Clark, who was enjoying a long weekend with his girlfriend and pals on MSC Virtuosa. Like many other passengers, the reality TV star had no idea about the tragic death until later on. A source said: 'Harry is clearly very shocked and saddened by the news and is thinking of the individual's family and friends. 'You really don't expect that to happen on a cruise and it's a very scary situation.' Harry, 23, who won the £95,000 prize in last year's series of the hit BBC show, took selfies with other guests during an onboard white party. His girlfriend Anna, 24, sister of singer Connor Maynard, posted snaps captioned on Instagram: 'Stripe obsession and lift selfies on a cruise.' Mr Messham's death was the second tragedy onboard MSC Virtuosa in a matter of months. Colombian national Jessica Andrea Gómez Granda, 28, died after falling overboard near the Channel Islands in October. The ship is used to film Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder starring X Factor winner Shayne Ward. Det Chief Insp Matt Gillooly, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's senior investigating officer, said: 'We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident onboard and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our enquiries.' A spokesperson for MSC Virtuosa said: '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.' 4 Traitors winner Harry Clark was on board with girlfriend Anna Maynard Credit: Instagram
The Irish Sun
07-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Grandad, 60, ‘murdered' hours after leaving UK on stag do cruise is pictured – as pals pay tribute to ‘proper gent'
Advertisement A GRANDAD who was allegedly murdered just hours into a stag do cruise to Belgium has been remembered as a 'legend'. Advertisement James Messham, 60, Advertisement 4 James Messham died following an 'altercation' on board a cruise ship on Saturday Credit: Facebook Advertisement 4 The tragedy took place hours after the MSC Virtuosa set sail for Bruges Credit: MSC Rights The luxury ship was still in British waters after leaving Southampton, Hants, at 6pm enroute to Bruges. Advertisement Police arrested a 57-year-old man from Exeter on suspicion of murder when the two-night cruise returned on Monday. Advertisement Mr Messham is understood to have been travelling with relatives who helped him run popular motorbike stunt show the Wall of Death. Advertisement Joby Carter described him as a 'proper gent' who was part of Carter's Steam Fair until around eight years ago. Advertisement He said: 'I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news. He was a legend. Advertisement 'We used to travel Carter's Steam Fair. He approached us because he had a wall of death and wanted to travel with us. 'We always got along with him. He was a proper gent, salt of the earth. Advertisement 'You knew if you had a problem he would come and help you any time day or night. Advertisement Most read in The Sun 'He was such a trier and did really well in the haulage business as well. Advertisement 'Travelling the Wall of Death is a labour of love. You've got to love it. Advertisement Holidaymaker, 60, killed in 'fight' on luxury cruise ship hours after leaving UK as man, 57, arrested over 'murder' "They stopped travelling with us about eight years ago. I still spoke to him a couple of times a year. Advertisement 'You couldn't watch that show without the hairs on your arms coming up.' Advertisement An on-board army medic is believed to have treated stunt performer Mr Messham, who also rode motorbikes as part of the daredevil show. Advertisement His family in Sussex were too upset to speak - but some relatives have posted touching pictures in memory of their dad on Facebook. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary released the arrested suspect on bail on Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Among shocked guests was Traitors winner Harry Clark, who was enjoying a long weekend with his girlfriend and pals on MSC Virtuosa. Advertisement Like many other passengers, the reality TV star had no idea about the tragic death until later on. Advertisement A source said: 'Harry is clearly very shocked and saddened by the news and is thinking of the individual's family and friends. 'You really don't expect that to happen on a cruise and it's a very scary situation.' Advertisement Harry, 23, who won the £95,000 prize in last year's series of the hit BBC show, took selfies with other guests during an onboard white party. Advertisement His girlfriend Anna, 24, sister of singer Connor Maynard, posted snaps captioned on Instagram: 'Stripe obsession and lift selfies on a cruise.' Advertisement Mr Messham's death was the second tragedy onboard MSC Virtuosa in a matter of months. Colombian national Jessica Andrea Gómez Granda, 28, died after falling overboard near the Channel Islands in October. Advertisement The ship is used to film Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder starring X Factor winner Shayne Ward. Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun Det Chief Insp Matt Gillooly, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's senior investigating officer, said: 'We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident onboard and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our enquiries.' Advertisement A spokesperson for MSC Virtuosa said: '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.' Advertisement 4 Traitors winner Harry Clark was on board with girlfriend Anna Maynard Credit: Instagram Advertisement 4 The ship is used to film Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder Credit: MSC Rights
