Shocking pictures have emerged that show how a sailor caused the death of his new wife on their honeymoon yacht by opening escape hatches apparently smashing a hole in its hull.
Lewis Bennett, 41, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after his wife Isabella Hellman disappeared when their catamaran sank off Cuba in May 2017.
Prosecutors have released the images in a bid to convince a judge to jail him for eight years, the maximum allowed for his charge.
The FBI says the holes in the boat were smashed from the inside and the underwater portholes had been opened.
Mr Bennett, from Poole, Dorset, originally faced charges of second degree murder, which he denied, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge in November.
The British-Australian made an SOS call claiming the boat had struck an unknown object while he was in a cabin, and when he emerged, he could not find Ms Hellman.
He allegedly made no attempt to find his wife after the 37-foot catamaran sunk, instead loading items for himself onto a life raft.
Mr Bennett was rescued by the US Coast Guard between Cuba and the Bahamas three hours later on a raft stuffed with luggage.
According to CBS12, Mr Bennett travelled back to England with the couple’s toddler as soon as the Coast Guard concluded its search and quickly went to have his wife declared dead, allegedly so he could inherit their apartment in Florida.
Prosecutor Kurt Lunkenheimer said “the fact that the Defendant would pack all of these items into a life raft, but not actively and diligently look for his wife” was why he should receive the maximum eight-year sentence.
But last week, members of Hellman’s family wrote the judge, saying seven to eight years is not enough and they would rather see the case go to trial.
Investigators also discovered that Bennett was smuggling rare coins during his rescue, worth nearly £30,000, which had been reported stolen from a former employer in St Maarten a year earlier.
He admitted transporting the coins and is currently serving a seven-month jail sentence.
Colombian 41-year-old Ms Hellman’s body was never found.
Mr Bennett will be sentenced in Miami on Monday.
