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Australia scuba death man pleads Scuba man jailed for wife's death
(about 3 hours later)
An American man pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his bride while scuba diving on their honeymoon, ducking murder charges. An American man has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in Australia over the death of his bride on their scuba-diving honeymoon on Great Barrier Reef.
The death took place on Australia's Great Barrier Reef in 2003. Christina Watson, 26, drowned while diving with her husband, David Gabriel Watson, an experienced diver, 11 days after their wedding in 2003.
Bubble wrap salesman David Gabriel Watson, who has since remarried, admitted to manslaughter in a Brisbane court hearing. The sentence came after Watson pleaded guilty to manslaughter having previously denied murder charges.
Christina Watson, 26, drowned while diving with her husband, an experienced diver, 11 days after their wedding. Prosecutors said he had failed in his duty as his wife's dive buddy.
A dive instructor found novice scuba diver Tina Watson lying on the bottom of the ocean after her husband, known as Gabe, had surfaced. 'Survival extinguished'
An inquest into her death heard earlier that a fellow diver saw Gabe Watson bear-hugging his wife underwater before he re-surfaced while she sank to the ocean floor. Prosecutor Brendan Campbell said Watson had failed to give her emergency oxygen when she needed it.
In mid-2008 a coroner found it was likely Watson killed his wife by holding her underwater and turning off her air supply. Watson allowed Christina to sink to the ocean floor without making any serious attempt to rescue her and also failed to inflate her buoyancy vest or remove weights from her belt to allow her to surface, Mr Campbell said.
He was later charged with murder but told the court Friday he would plead not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. "He virtually extinguished any chance of her survival," he told the court hearing, in Brisbane.
Sentencing due
An instructor races to Tina Watson, seen lying on the sea floorAn instructor races to Tina Watson, seen lying on the sea floor
Prosecutor Brendan Campbell accepted the plea on the basis that Mr Watson had failed in his duty as her dive buddy by failing to give her emergency oxygen when she needed it. A dive instructor found novice scuba diver Christina Watson lying on the bottom of the ocean after her husband, known as Gabe, had surfaced.
Mr Watson allowed Tina to sink to the ocean floor without making any serious attempt to rescue her and also failed to inflate her buoyancy vest or remove weights from her belt to allow her to surface, Mr Campbell said. In mid-2008 a coroner found it was likely Watson killed his wife by holding her underwater and turning off her air supply.
"He virtually extinguished any chance of her survival," he told the court. Watson, who has since remarried, voluntarily returned to Australia last month to face his murder charge.
Mr Watson voluntarily returned to Australia last month to face his murder charge. Christina's father Tommy Thomas, her sister Alanda and friend Amanda Phillips travelled from their native Alabama to attend the court hearing.
Tina's father Tommy Thomas, her sister Alanda and friend Amanda Phillips travelled from their native Alabama to attend the court hearing. Prosecutors had sought a five-year jail term for Mr Watson, with the possibility of parole after 18 months.
Prosecutors sought a five-year jail term for Mr Watson, with the possibility of parole after 18 months. He was due to be sentenced later on Friday.