Pleasure cruises are not cheap. One expects relaxed standards, where younger people can have fun.
The sexual harassment described of a group of regular cruise going thugs calls into question the value of such cruises.
The subsequent behaviour of P and O and the poorly run investigation by NSW police does nothing to attract one to cruising lifestyle.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Tragedy for Brimble on Pleasure Cruise
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Jokes after cruise woman died
By Mark Schliebs
SOME of the "persons of interest" at an inquiry into the cruise ship death of Brisbane woman Dianne Brimble made jokes after she died as "a way of dealing with it", a key witness told detectives.
University student Matthew Slade, in whose cabin Mrs Brimble's body was found, told detectives in an interview after her death that "a few jokes had been made" and he apologised for the behaviour of another person of interest, Leo Silvestri.
"They were just making light of the whole situation, I think that's how the guys had been dealing with it," Slade explained to detectives in an interview on September 27, 2002.
Mrs Brimble, 42, died from a combination of alcohol and the date rape drug fantasy after spending time in a nightclub aboard the P&O cruise liner Pacific Sky's on September 23, 2002.
Slade, 34, is among eight men considered to be persons of interest in the case.
Slade told an inquiry into Mrs Brimble’s death that he had given Silvestri around $120 for three ecstasy tablets that he wanted to take on the last night of the cruise.
“The understanding I had was at least some people (in our group) were going to take ecstasy,” he said.
Slade said that he did not receive the tablets but was told they had been disposed of.
“I was pretty sure I’d been informed that they were thrown overboard (after Mrs Brimble’s death).”
In a 2003 interview with investigators, Slade said that “fantasy is probably a bit cool”.
He told the court today that he had not taken the drug before and was unaware of it being taken on board the cruise.
An inteview between Slade and detectives, recorded just days after Mrs Brimble’s death, was also played to the court today.
In it, he recalled seeing Mrs Brimble on the floor of his cabin after he'd woken up but said, "I didn't realise it was a girl - I thought it was one of the guys."
He also recalled his cruise-mates Silvestri and Mark Wilhelm talking as if they were "panicky and agitated" before leaving the cabin.
"I can't remember anything that was said or anyhting like that," Slade told detectives.
"I was proabably still pretty drunk."
Slade said he'd taken three sleeping pills, which he'd been prescribed, before going to bed around 3.30am.
He said Silvestri had left the ship's nightclub 30 minutes before him but he was still awake in the cabin when Slade went to bed.
"He (Silvestri) was pretty normal. He wasn't a dribbling mess or anything like that."
The inquest at Glebe Coroner's Court is continuing.
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