Italian captain Francesco Schettino on Thursday returned on board his stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, more than two years after leaving it in a hurry as it sank in a tragedy that claimed 32 lives.
Wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, the disgraced captain fought off a media scrum as he arrived in the tiny port on Giglio Island, donned a life jacket and got on a boat that took him out to the vessel.
Schettino’s visit was part of a court-ordered inspection in the ongoing trial against him for multiple counts of manslaughter and abandoning ship before all the passengers had been evacuated.
“They want to show that I am weak, just like two years ago. It’s not true! I want to show I’m a gentleman, not a coward,” Schettino, who was dubbed “Captain Coward” by the tabloids, was quoted by Italian media as saying.
Read full story at Straite Times
