A second man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 60-year-old man onboard a cruise ship.
James Messham, from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, died after an “altercation” on the MSC Virtuosa as it was in British waters on Saturday 3 May during a short trip to Belgium.
A 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon, was arrested on suspicion of murder and was released pending further inquiries by Hampshire constabulary.
Now the force has confirmed that a second man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
A spokesperson said: “A second man has been arrested as part of an investigation into the death of a 60-year-old man onboard the MSC Virtuosa, which happened at around 8.30pm on Saturday 3 May.
“A 56-year-old man from Richmond, London, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and remains in custody at this time.
“We remain keen to hear from anyone who was aboard the ship, which had departed Southampton around 6pm on Saturday and was still in British waters at the time.”
Messham, who operated the travelling show Messham’s Wall of Death, has been described as a “great showman” by friends posting on Facebook.
One friend commented on a photo of Messham posted by son Jake Messham: “He will be missed by everyone. When he travelled with us with the wall some years ago in Ireland, your dad and all your family were very helpful and great people to be around.
“He was a great showman and friend to all.”
The MSC Virtuosa is operated by MSC Cruises, with a capacity of 6,334 guests and 1,704 crew members. The ship returned from Belgium to Southampton, Hampshire, on 5 May.
Lynda Hardiman-Pearce, a passenger on the ship, said she saw five police officers at Southampton docks when she disembarked. She said the cruise was “full of hen and stag parties” and she had been told an army medic who was onboard tried to help the man who died.
The vessel was used for the filming of the Channel 5 crime drama The Good Ship Murder starring Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley. In October 2024, a woman died after going overboard from the 331-metre cruise ship while off the Channel Islands.
