THE skipper of a sailing ship which sank causing the death of an Oxfordshire woman could be given a final chance to appeal against his conviction for manslaughter.

Mark Litchfield, 56, master and owner of the Maria Asumpta, has cleared the first hurdle in his bid for a final hearing before the House of Lords.

Anne Taylor, 50, of Norries Drive, Wallingford, was among three people who died when the world's oldest seagoing square-rigged sailing ship sank near Padstow in Cornwall three years ago. She had worked as ship's cook.

Litchfield was held criminally negligent for ignoring adverse winds and tides and sailing far too close to the shore. He was given an 18-month prison sentence.

But now a panel of judges has ruled that the case raised "a point of law, of general public interest, fit for consideration by the Law Lords".

A final decision on whether Litchfied can proceed with an appeal will be down to the Law Lords themselves, but the judges' comments are likely to strengthen his case considerably.Lord Justice Simon Brown, sitting in London, said the court had given the skipper a last chance of appeal but not without "considerable hesitation and some misgivings."

The jury in the original trial at Exeter Crown Court had, he said, heard five weeks of evidence and seen all the witnesses.

But he added that it did not seem right to stop Litchfield from arguing whether or not the Court of Appeal could set its own standards in cases of manslaughter through alleged criminal negligence.

Litchfield, who will be released later this year, was not in court to hear the decision.

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