RYA Yachtmaster Instructor jailed

For issues fake certificates in Majorca

The RYA (Royal Yachting Association) has welcomed the jailing in Majorca of one of its former instructors.

Former RYA Yachtmaster Instructor Len Hancox was sentenced to two years in jail and a fine of 4,300 euros after a local court found him guilty of issuing fake RYA qualifications. A local accomplice received a 14 months sentence and 3,600 Euro fine. Mr Hancox had already been stripped of his instructor qualifications following an RYA hearing held in London in 2000.

In a further move welcomed by the RYA, 44 of the duo’s clients were each fined 540 euros for purchasing and using the fake qualifications.

The offences date back to 1998 and came to light following an RYA investigation into the circulation in Spain of falsified RYA International Certificates of Competence. The certificates, normally issued only on completion of a supervised test, are required in many European countries as proof of a skipper’s competence to hire or charter a vessel.

“The case has taken time to come to court but the sentences send out a very clear signal that those guilty of selling or using fake International Certificates of Competence will be punished for putting at risk the safety and well-being of other water users,” said RYA Training Manager James Stevens.

“We take the quality of our training and standards very seriously and the 14,000 ICCs we issue annually go to boaters who have undergone relevant training and demonstrated their ability to command a vessel safely. People who try to short cut the process are potentially putting their own and other’s’ lives at risk. We work in close collaboration with the police and national marine authorities throughout the world and will not hesitate to cooperate fully in seeing fraudsters caught and punished.”