Second man, 56, arrested over death of granddad, 60, who died on stag do cruise just hours after leaving UK
A SECOND man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 60-year-old man on board a cruise ship.
James Messham died following an "altercation" on the MSC Virtuosa as it was in British waters on Saturday May 3, during a short trip to Belgium.
A 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon, was arrested on suspicion of murder and was released pending further inquiries by Hampshire Constabulary.
Now, the force has confirmed that a second man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the grandad's death.
The man, 56, remains in custody following his arrest, confirmed cops.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: "A second man has been arrested as part of an investigation into the death of a 60-year-old man on board the MSC Virtuosa, which happened at around 8.30pm on Saturday 3 May.
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"A 56-year-old man from Richmond, London, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and remains in custody at this time.
"We remain keen to hear from anyone who was aboard the ship, which had departed Southampton around 6pm on Saturday and was still in British waters at the time."
Mr Messham, who ran the travelling motorbike show Messham's Wall of Death, has been described as a "great showman" by friends posting on Facebook.
One close friend, Joby Carter, shared that James, from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, was a "proper gent".
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He said: “I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news. He was a legend.
“We used to travel Carter’s Steam Fair. He approached us because he had a wall of death and wanted to travel with us.
“We always got along with him. He was a proper gent, salt of the earth.
“You knew if you had a problem he would come and help you any time day or night.
"He was such a trier and did really well in the haulage business as well.
“Travelling the Wall of Death is a labour of love. You’ve got to love it."
James' family have posted on social media about his tragic passing, but have yet to speak to the press.
Following his death, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly said: “We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident onboard and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our enquiries.”
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A spokesperson for MSC Virtuosa also commented: “Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted, and we are co-operating fully with their investigations.
"We are providing full support to those impacted.”