Horvatinčić sentenced to nearly five years for deadly boating accident

Real estate magnate Tomislav Horvatinčić has been sentenced to 4 years and 10 months in prison for causing a boating accident that killed two people.

The 72-year-old Horvatinčić was not in the courtroom to hear the verdict as the court delivered its ruling on Wednesday afternoon. The court also baned Horvatinčić from operating any kind of motor vehicle for five years. The verdict is not final, since both sides have the opportunity to appeal, but if it stands, Horvatinčić will also have to pay 190 thousand kuna in court fees.

This is the third time Horvatinčić has been tried for the same crime. In the first trial, he was found guitly and sentenced to a 20 month suspended sentece with three years of probation. In the second trial, he was acquitted because the court validated his argument that he had suffered a temporary loss of consciousness at the time of the accident. The verdicts, particularly the acquittal, sparked outrage from the family of the victims, an Italian couple, and the public. Higher courts overturned both verdicts, ordering retrials.

A panel of judges chaired by Ivan Jurišić found Horvatinčić guilty of causing the August 16, 2011 collision between a speedboat operated by the defendant and the sailboat with victims, Francesco Salpietro and Marinela Patrola Salpietro, on board.

The judges ruled Horvatinčić was negligent in operating the motor-powered yacht, the Santa Marina, which was travelling at 26 knots per hour when it crashed into the Santa Pazienza, crushing the sailboat. The force of the impact threw both of the victims overboard, causing fatal injuries.

Horvatinčić, a wealthy real-estate developer, has a history fatal car accidents. In two separate incidents during the 1980s, he ran down three pedestrians, two of whom died from injuries suffered in the accidents.