A man who crashed his speedboat into a 15-year-old kayaker near Milford Haven has been sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, in the first prosecution by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) under new watercraft safety legislation.
Adam Russell (28), of Murrays Mew, Burton, Milford Haven, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court over a life-threatening incident which took place in August 2024 on the River Cleddau.
In addition to the suspended prison term, Russell must complete 15 hours of required activity; 200 hours unpaid work; and pay his victim a total of £1,676 in compensation for damage to property and personal injury, plus £3,000 prosecution costs.
Just like our roads, our seas and our rivers are not playgrounds.
Judge Geraint Walters
It is the first prosecution under the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023, introduced in 2024 to empower prosecution of anyone who puts others at risk by using powered watercraft of any size in a dangerous manner, including small motorboats and jet skis.
Swansea Crown Court heard how the crash near Milford Haven wrecked the teenage boy’s one-person kayak and left him with cuts and bruising to his arms and lower lip.
The teenager has not returned to water sports since, describing the experience as ‘terrifying’.
Moments before the impact, Russell had been seated steering a single-engine, duo-prop speedboat, White Mischief, driving at speeds of up to 25mph which lifted the bow and obscured his vision. He was carrying six passengers, including children.
Personal floatation devices
The 15-year-old victim was travelling in the opposite direction, in a group with his father and friends in brightly coloured kayaks and wearing red personal floatation devices.
The teenager tried to paddle out of the way but, unable to see the danger, Russell changed course and struck the kayak, driving over the victim and throwing him into the water.
The MCA led the prosecution with support from Dyfed Powys Police and Milford Haven Port Authority.
“Just like our roads, our seas and our rivers are not playgrounds,” said Judge Geraint Walters. “They are required by all of us to recognise the risk to others innocently going about their business.”
“This case shows the importance of keeping a proper lookout and operating safely. It was a very close call – if circumstances had been only slightly different, there could have been a terrible tragedy,” said MCA investigator Paul Atkins.
New watercraft safety laws
“This prosecution, the first under new watercraft safety laws, sends a clear signal that people flouting the requirements that keep us all safe on the water are liable to be held accountable for their actions.”
Mike Ryan, Harbourmaster at the Port of Milford Haven, added: “The incident on the Milford Haven Waterway was extraordinarily dangerous with a very real threat to life, yet it was also completely avoidable.
“It is an important reminder that not only do waterway users have a responsibility to keep themselves and any passengers safe, but also a responsibility towards every other user of the waterway.”
Russell previously admitted two charges at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court: failing without reasonable excuse to prevent the loss or destruction of another watercraft and/or serious injury to another person and failing without reasonable excuse to comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
