THE CAPTAIN accused of causing the deaths of 32 people after his cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, ran aground on the Italian coast last year wants to cut a deal over his sentence.
As his trial for manslaughter resumed in central Italy today, Francesco Schettino's lawyers said the 52-year-old was ready to plead guilty in return for a prison sentence of three years and five months, Sky News reports. Given that Schettino faces more than 20 years in jail if convicted at a full trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster and injuring 150 of his passengers, the plea bargain has only a slim chance of being accepted, experts say.
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