A man working as a chef aboard a Sky Princess ship was sentenced to prison earlier this month for sexually assaulting a young girl during a voyage.
Vincent Lucas, 34, of Goa, India, was sentenced on Feb. 14, 2025, to a year in prison for one count of sexual assault following a four-day trial.
The incident happened inside a teen area, a space exclusively designed for teens to socialize with those in their same age group, when the ship was returning to Southampton, Hampshire.
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Every year, thousands of cruise ship passengers are injured aboard ships for a wide array of reasons. And, every year, thousands of these passengers file personal injury claims against these cruise lines. Most of these claims fall under premises liability, where a cruise line fails to maintain a safe environment for passengers on its ship. However, Leesfield & Partners has extensive experience in this area of personal injury law and has encountered nearly every type of case imaginable. To date, the firm has secured over $40 million for cruise ship passengers injured due to that corporation’s negligence.
Shore Excursion
A Royal Caribbean passenger who is accused of verbally attacking the crew and kicking at a door on board has died while detained by the cruise ship’s security.
Michael Virgil, 35, has been identified as the passenger who died on Dec. 13 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. He was traveling with his fiancé and 7-year-old son.
The incident happened about an hour after the ship left from the port of San Pedro, near Los Angeles, California. Cell phone footage of Virgil that has gained traction online shows him attempting to kick down a door, trying to get at one of the crew members.
A man convicted of raping a 17-year-old on a Carnival Cruise sexually assaulted at least half a dozen other people, according to an FBI investigation.
Jalen Thomas Kelley, 22, of Abingdon, Maryland, was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse and assault after police say he raped a minor aboard the Carnival Legend in January 2023. During the two-week trial, six other people spoke out against Kelley and testified that he had sexually assaulted them in separate incidents.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland said in a news release that Kelley could face a maximum sentence of life in prison. As of Tuesday morning, he had not been sentenced. His sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge.
Police are investigating rape allegations after an MSC Cruises passenger claims she was raped by multiple crew members on a recent voyage.
The woman, a 44-year-old from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who was not named in the article, reported the incident to police on Dec. 7 when her ship returned to PortMiami. The woman alleges that while traveling alone for a week-long cruise she mistakenly mixed her anti-anxiety medication with alcohol and went to the ship’s buffet. The woman said she planned to take the food back with her to her cabin to eat before going to bed.
A waiter allegedly found her and took her plate to her room, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Instead of leaving, the woman said the waiter lingered before raping her. The next day, the woman said what room she was staying in while speaking with a different crewmember.
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