A British film producer died in front of his ten-y
A British film producer died in front of his ten-year-old son in a scuba-diving tragedy in Malta, an inquest heard today (WEDS).
Michael Sheppard, 46, drowned in ten metres of water on only his second ever dive.
His devastated son, who was also in the water, watched as the horror unfolded.
An instructor showing Mr Sheppard the ropes was later prosecuted for negligence, carelessnes, incompetence, and flouting regulations.
But he was cleared of all charges by a Maltese court.
Westminster Coroner’s Court today heard how Mr Sheppard, who made films for British Airways personnel, died after taking the lad on holiday in August 1998.
Mr Sheppard, who is separated from his wife, decided to go scuba-diving with his son in Gozo, Malta, because he had never tried it before.
Their first dive was on August 13, and the following day Mr Sheppard decided to go in the water again.
Coroner’s officer Leonard Crouch said: ‘He was one of three people with the instructor who went down to a depth of no more than ten metres.
‘He then got into difficulties and drowned.
His son was one of the other divers with the group.
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Asthma sufferer Mr Sheppard, who lived on a houseboat in Chelsea, south-west London, died from heart failure due to drowning.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Dr Paul Knapman said: ‘This does not mean that everybody was blameless or that people should not have conducted themselves differently.
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ends
