A KIDDERMINSTER man was found guilty of the manslaughter of a tax worker who drowned when the boat she was on sank on the River Severn at Stourport.

Tom Prescot, 48, of George Street, Kidderminster was the helmsman of the 23ft cruiser Sweetie Pie, which went down shortly after 10pm on Saturday, September 6, 2003.

Forty-five-year-old Jane Turner died after becoming trapped in the boat's cabin.

Prescot's co-defendant, Ruth Pearson, 39, of St George's Terrace, Kidderminster was cleared of the same charge while the jury of six men and six women was unable to return a verdict for the third defendant, Janice Ward, 42, of Worcester Road, Stourport.

Prescot was due to be sentenced today at Birmingham Crown Court.

The jury, who retired on Friday after the four-week trial, spent nearly 12 hours considering the verdicts.

Mrs Turner, a divorcee, from Castle Bromwich in Solihull, was among partygoers on the vessel when it capsized on the day of the 2003 Stourport land and river carnival.

During the trial, the court heard that the Sweetie Pie had been purchased jointly by Pearson and Ward, in June, 2003, for £2,700, with each paying half.

One witness told the court that as the Sweetie Pie approached his own boat on the day Mrs Turner died, it flipped on to its side, causing a loud crashing sound and throwing people overboard, before returning to its upright position.

He dragged one woman on to his boat while five or six people tried to pull themselves back on to the stern of the Sweetie Pie, pulling it down as a result, and it started to take on water.

It began to sink stern-end first but then turned on to its port side.

The other passengers who had been on the boat that day managed to swim to the riverbank or were hauled to safety by rescuers.

All three defendants had denied the charge of manslaughter.