A boat owner from Weymouth has been convicted of manslaughter after the death of his employee in an at a Southampton boatyard explosion. Jurors at Winchester Crown Court have found Philip Wyman, 61, guilty of the charge after nearly two days of deliberation.

They were not asked for a verdict on alternative charges of breaching health and safety laws over the death of Krisztian Takacs, 26, in August 2005.

Hungarian-born Mr Takacs had been employed by Wyman to smelt lead for a new keel on a boat he was repairing at Smith’s Quay in Southampton when a fire started aboard the boat and caused a propane gas canister to explode in a 300m high fireball.

Wyman was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.