A British yachtsman has been acquitted of attempted murder charges related to an incident in which his girlfriend was allegedly pushed overboard off the southern coast of Portugal. Jeremy Orritt, 61, was arrested in May 2025 following accusations that he threw Larissa Lemare, 38, into the River Tagus during a sailing expedition described as a “new age” voyage.

Portuguese prosecutors said the couple had been in a relationship for approximately one year and were undertaking a round-the-world journey at the time of the incident. Ms. Lemare, reportedly unable to swim, was rescued by a nearby boat and subsequently hospitalized. Prosecutors alleged that Ms. Lemare had experienced episodes of both verbal and physical abuse prior to Mr. Orritt pushing her into the water near Oeiras on May 30, 2025. Following the incident, it was claimed that Mr. Orritt started the yacht and left the scene, fully aware of Ms. Lemare’s inability to swim.

Mr. Orritt was held in custody for 16 months after being charged with attempted aggravated homicide and domestic violence. Throughout the trial at the Cascais Judicial Court, the prosecution maintained that the assault took place aboard Mr. Orritt’s 34-foot sloop, the SV Mariner.

Defence attorney Teresa Fialho de Sousa stated that her client was acquitted due to a lack of sufficient evidence to prove the charges. The verdict cleared Mr. Orritt of all accusations related to the attempted homicide.

According to reports, Ms. Lemare, originally from Totnes, Devon, has continued her international travels and has been involved in crewing yachts in the Caribbean following the incident. Prior to the arrest, Mr. Orritt, who also uses the names Captain Jez and Jeremiah Combobulated, had described the voyage as a spiritual mission. In a social media post from ten weeks before the incident, he wrote about sailing the SV Mariner from northern Spain to the Mediterranean while seeking a “conscious, vegan crew” to join their journey. He characterized the yacht’s interior as resembling a “gypsy caravan” and referred to the trip as part of a “divine mission to herald the beginning of a new age for humanity—an age of LOVE and understanding.”