After a year and half long trial, three judges sentenced Captain Francisco Schettino to sixteen (16) years in jail for manslaughter.
The general concensious is that Schettino demonstrated little concern for the consequences of his recklessness other than feeling sorry for himself. His legal counsel argued that he was made a scapegoat by the cruise line Carnival-Corporation-owned Costa Cruises.
The prosecutor described Schettino as an “idiot” and a “coward.”
Costa paid a relatively small fine of 1.1 million dollars to avoid a criminal trial.
The prosecution sought 26 years in jail for Schettino. The defense requested a maximum of 5 years. Schettino is entitled to an automatic appeal of the sentence and is likely not to serve time in jail during the appeal.
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