Criminal action over trawler loss

The wreck was salvaged to recover the men's bodies

The Attorney General of the Isle of Man is to proceed with prosecutions in connection with the loss of the fishing boat, the Solway Harvester.

All seven crewmen on board the Kirkcudbright-registered scallop vessel perished in heavy seas 11 miles from the Isle of Man two years ago.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said the attorney general had asked the chief inspector of marine accidents to delay the publication of his report into the incident until criminal proceedings are complete.

He said he was unable to comment on the prosecutions, which are being handled by the Isle of Man government.

Marine accidents

The 21-metre Solway Harvester went down in stormy conditions in the Irish Sea, off the coast of the Isle of Man, on 11 January 2000.

Skipper Andrew Craig Mills, 29; his brother Robin Mills, 33; their cousin David Mills, 17; Martin Milligan, 26; John Murphy, 22; David Lyons, 18, and Wesley Jolly, 17, all lost their lives in the tragedy.

The fishermen were all from the villages of Garlieston, Whithorn and Isle of Whithorn in the remote Machars area of Galloway in south-west Scotland.

The Manx government paid for divers to recover the bodies of the crew after pledging to return them to their families.

The wreck of the boat was later raised to help establish the cause of the sinking.

The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, John Lang, has written to the families of the men to tell them of the postponement of the report.

He said: "I am acutely aware that this will not be welcome news and deeply regret having to postpone the publication of the report yet again."