British yacht owner killed in St Lucia during boat attack
A Warwickshire man has been killed after a group of men boarded his yacht in the Caribbean
Yachtsman Roger Pratt has been killed and his wife injured after attackers boarded his 41ft boat, Magnetic Attraction, in St Lucia.
Police in the Caribbean have detained at least two people in connection with the incident that occurred on Friday.
The 62-year-old from Warwickshire was found dead in the water at Vieux Fort after apparently trying to protect his wife from intruders.
Margaret Pratt, 60-years-old, was treated in hospital for cuts and bruises.
The cause of Mr Pratt’s death is still unknown and a post-mortem is due to be carried out.
The couple had planned to leave the west coast of St Lucia on Thursday but officials delayed them and they arrived in Vieux Fort on Friday morning, just hours before the attack.
In a recent blog post, Mrs Pratt wrote: “On Thursday morning the plan was to clear out from Soufriere, then to travel south and use up the 72 hours before we had to be away.
“But bureaucracy intervened. HM Customs and Excise in Soufriere told us that exit had to happen within 24 hours of clearing out; and that anyway, we couldn’t clear out of Soufriere that day because the Immigration Officer hadn’t come to work.
“So here we are in Vieux Fort, the most southerly port of clearance in St Lucia. It’s very different. There’s a port; an airport and no tourists.”
The couple, who were part-way through a round-the-world-trip, had been moored in the commercial port and celebrated Mrs Pratt’s 60th birthday just weeks earlier.
Mrs Pratt’s sister, Jenny Riley, described the pair as experienced sailors and said it was “a tragic, shattering end to their dream”.
Mrs Pratt is now helping police with their ongoing investigation.
Related articles