Man, 21, admits manslaughter after fatal boat crash off Dorset coast
David Haw, 24, died after he went overboard from a rigid inflatable boat
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A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the gross negligence manslaughter of a 24-year-old who died following a boat crash off the Dorset coast.
The body David Haw, from Sussex, was recovered 12 days after he went missing following the accident in Poole Harbour last year.
The accident involved a rigid inflatable boat (Rib) crashing into a channel marker in the early hours of 2 May.
Morgan Smith, from Southampton, admitted causing the death of Mr Haw at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday.
A date for his sentencing at Winchester Crown Court will be decided in October, as presiding judge Susan Evans told Smith he faces a custodial sentence over the “seriousness of the offence you have committed”.
“I will be allowing you bail and I am doing that because you have come here to give a realistic plea,” she added.
Dorset Police carried out extensive searches for Mr Haw in the Poole Harbour area in the days after the tragic accident, as the police specialist dive teams were supported by HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), as well as volunteers from DorSAR and Wessex Flood and Water Rescue Unit.
His body was eventually found in the water on 14 May.
The police launched an investigation into the circumstances around Mr Haw’s death, as officers worked alongside Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which ultimately led to charges being brought against Smith.
Additional reporting on wires.