The Italian captain of Costa Concordia ship which crashed into a reef, killing 32 people in 2012, was headed to prison in Rome after losing the final appeals bid.
Italy's highest criminal tribunal, the Court of Cassation, in a ruling Friday evening (May 12) upheld lower court convictions of Francesco Schettino and his 16-year prison sentence.
The ex-captain was convicted of manslaughter and causing the shipwreck while captaining the luxury cruise liner sailing close to Giglio Island off Tuscany. Schettino was also convicted of abandoning the capsizing ship with passengers and crew still aboard.
One of the lawyers representing the victims, Michelina Suriano, said:
"Finally Schettino begins to pay for his wrongdoing."
Saverio Senese, defense lawyer, called Schettino a scapegoat.
The wreckage, that was raised in dramatic engineering feat, eventually was towed away to become scrap.
You can read our extensive reviiew of the Costa Concordia accident.