VANCOUVER -- The judge overseeing the criminal trial into the Queen of the North ferry sinking has told the jury that if they believe the testimony of the crew member accused in they case, they must acquit him.
Karl Lilgert is on trial for criminal negligence causing the deaths of two passengers, who haven't been seen since the Queen of the North sank off the coast of B.C. in March 2006.
Lilgert told the court he was doing all he could to navigate the ship through rough weather and around as many as two boats when the ferry struck an island.
The Crown accused Lilgert of colluding with the other crew member on the bridge -- his former lover Karen Briker -- to fabricate the story.
Judge Sunni Stromberg-Stein is instructing the jurors ahead of their deliberations, telling them if they believe Lilgert's testimony, they must find him not guilty.
Stromberg-Stein says the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lilgert showed a reckless disregard for the safety of the ship, and that his actions caused the deaths of passengers Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette.
