British sailor acquitted in Portugal yacht attack case for lack of evidence
British sailor Jeremy Orritt has been acquitted of attempting to kill his girlfriend by pushing her from his yacht off Portugal. The case drew attention because prosecutors said the alleged assault happened during a voyage he described as a “divine mission” to herald a new age for humanity.
Orritt, 61, had spent 16 months in custody after being accused of assaulting Larissa Lemare and throwing her into the River Tagus near Oeiras on 30 May 2025, then sailing away despite knowing she could not swim. A passing boat reportedly rescued Lemare and took her to hospital. The Cascais court rejected the prosecution’s account, and his lawyer said he was acquitted for lack of evidence; he had also faced a domestic violence charge.
- Jeremy Orritt was acquitted of attempted homicide in Portugal.
- He spent 16 months in custody before the ruling.
- Prosecutors’ account of the yacht incident was rejected.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “British sailor is cleared of trying to kill his girlfriend by ‘pushing her off his yacht’ during ‘divine mission to herald new age of humanity’”.