Drunken dad refused to seek help after daughter and ex-wife became stranded on boat

A court heard that a drunken sailor refused to call for help after a broken-down boat left him stranded for around four hours with his ex-partner and their 10-year-old daughter. The incident involved James Roberts, 43, who, according to the case, drank a bottle of whisky while in charge of the vessel and declined to contact the Coastguard when mechanical trouble occurred, leaving the family adrift. The daughter was reportedly “shaking with the cold,” and another boat owner tried to help. Greenock Sheriff Court heard Roberts made offensive remarks and threatened violence toward the person assisting. Sheriff Anthony McGeehan said there were inconsistencies in Roberts’ account and that there was minimisation of both his intoxication and the seriousness of the offence. The court sentenced Roberts, from East Kilbride, to 200 hours of unpaid work completed within 12 months, with one year of social-work supervision, as an alternative to custody. The incident began at Rothesay Marina on May 10 last year.