Trevor Collenette, a Jerseyman, who is our close friend of 40 years, is a retired banker with over 30 years service with Lloyds TSB. He retired at 50 to enjoy his passion for sailing and has been undertaking courses and gaining experience with crew recruitment companies who specialise in the delivery of yachts. He answered an advertisement placed by John Kelway (Skipper) through web- based yacht crew agency "Crewseekers" to help crew "Gin", a yacht registered to a Gibraltar company, Velvet Sea Yachting Limited, which is understood to be owned by a Croatian National of whom Trevor had no prior relationship prior to his arrival in St Lucia. Under skipper, John Kelway, the crew, Trevor Collenette (First Mate), Martin Genocchio and Kathryn Burman, who had only met for the first time on 29 April at Gatwick Airport, London, set sail on 2 May 2007 for Gibraltar. They arrived in Gibraltar on 4 June and the yacht was searched by customs but in the early hours of 5th June, Gibraltar Customs effected a second search apparently going straight to a false, fibreglassed compartment that contained 183 slabs of cocaine valued at £8million. The crew were arrested and accused of possession, possession with intent to supply and importation of drugs. They face life imprisonment if convicted. Trevor's close friends of 40 years, Steven Hunt, who is Chairman of Jersey Crimestoppers, Advocate Christopher Renouf, a lawyer, Graham Ireson and Alan Eaton, both company directors, believe that Trevor is innocent and that he is the victim of an orchestrated drugs smuggling. Byte Art are helping to support the appeal by designing, building and hosting the website for no charge.
The website can viewed at
www.trevorisinnocent.org
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