Yacht thieves may have starved at sea
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A fugitive couple who fled Britain after living a "champagne lifestyle" beyond their means were found dead on board a stolen yacht off the west African coast, an inquest has heard.
Sharon Arthurs-Chegini, 46, and Peter Clarke, 49, were wanted by police over the theft of a yacht from Falmouth, Cornwall, in 2005. Their badly decomposed bodies were found in 2006 on board a vessel stolen from Portugal that was drifting off the coast of Senegal.
The inquest, in Truro, heard the couple may have starved to death as the bodies were severely emaciated and there were no provisions or fresh water on board.
A diary entry from Ms Arthurs-Chegini from June 2006 described how Mr Clarke would not move from his bed and she had little water.
West African police said they could have been killed by pirates but post-mortem examinations found no internal or external injuries.
It was believed Ms Arthurs-Chegini from Falmouth and Mr Clarke of Penryn had been dead for some time when fishermen found the boat which could have been drifting "for several months".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments