Cruise Law News : Maritime Lawyer & Attorney : James M. Walker : Walker & O'Neill Law Firm : Admiralty Law, Cruise Ship Accidents & Injuries

While the P & O Cruises Ventura cruise ship sailed from Southampton to the Caribbean, a passenger went overboard.

Falling into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at night should be the beginning and the end of the story.  But this passenger overboard story is different from the many other cases we have discussed before.    

The Mail Online newspaper in the U.K. reports that passengers on the cruise ship "were woken by a huge lurch in darkness at 5:30 AM, while horns sounded . . . "  Life rings were thrown out and lifeboats were deployed.  The overboard passenger was pulled aboard a lifeboat and, once aboard the cruise ship, he was sent to the ship infirmary to recover.

There is no explanation regarding what happened.

The newspaper quotes another passenger, Julie Lourens, saying  ‘It has all been very dramatic. It was pitch black. This guy is so, so lucky."

Were you on this cruise?  Do you have information to share?  Please leave a comment below. 

Photo Credit:  Mail Online

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A Court in Australia has scheduled a new trial in the trial of P & O Cruises passenger Mark Wilhelm who was charged with the manslaughter death of fellow passenger Dianne Brimble aboard the P & O cruise ship Pacific Sky.

In October, a jury failed to reach a verdict in the first trial. 

The Crown charged Wilhelm of manslaughter of Ms. Brimble who died on the P&O cruise ship in September 2002 after being given the illegal drug GHB, also known as fantasy or liquid ecstasy.  In addition to the manslaughter charges, the Crown charged Wilhem with the lesser charge of providing an illegal substance to Ms. Brimble.

This is great news for the Brimble family, who has been steadfast in their resolve to see this matter through until the judicial process has been exhausted. 

The new trial is scheduled for April 19, 2010.

Ms. Brimble’s family joined International Cruise Victims (“ICV”) organization to bring awareness to the problem of cruise ship crime. Mr. Brimble is the President of the ICV chapter in Australia. Information regarding Ms. Brimble is available on the ICV website

I have written a number of articles about the danger of date rape drugs on cruise ships and Ms. Brimble's case:

Date Rape Drugs on Cruise Ships - the Death of Dianne Brimble

"Crawfishing" - Passengers in P & O Cruises Death Case Can't Remember A Thing

Another Crawfishing Witness in the Dianne Brimble Trial

Jury Is Out in Dianne Brimble Cruise Death Case

Dianne Brimble and the Lessons to Teach Our Young Men

Jury Reaches Partial Verdict in Dianne Brimble Case

Hung Jury in Dianne Brimble Cruise Death Trial

Photo Credit      International Cruise Victims ("ICV") 

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Today, the Court dismissed the jury in the Dianne Brimble trial in Australia after it deadlocked on one of two remaining charges against P & O passenger Mark Wilhelm.

The prosecution originally brought three charges against defendant Wilhelm for his involvement in the drugging death of Ms. Brimble on the P & O cruise ship Pacific Sky: (1) supplying a prohibited drug (GHB); (2) manslaughter, if the GHB significantly contributed to Ms Brimble's death; and (3) manslaughter by criminal negligence, for failing to aid Ms. Brimble as she lay dying on the floor of the cabin. The last charge was withdrawn by the prosecution shortly before the case was submitted to the jury for deliberation because the Crown admitted that it could not prove exactly when Ms Brimble died.    

It appears that the jury agreed that Wilhelm gave Ms. Brimble the date rape drug, but could not agree that the drug was a substantial factor in her death. 

ABC News in Australia reports that before deadlocking, the jury asked the Court: "If the accused supplied Ms Brimble with GHB and this drug substantially contributed to her death, can the fact Ms. Brimble being an adult person who voluntarily took the drug be a reason for the accused to be found not guilty of manslaughter?" The Court answered the jury's question "No."  Whether Ms. Brimble took the drug voluntarily, as opposed to Wilhelm giving her the drug surreptitiously, not was not a defense. 

The jury had to ignore much of the evidence introduced over the course of the last month after the prosecution withdrew manslaughter-by-criminal-negligence allegations.  The Court instructed the jurors that the trial was no longer about whether Mark Wilhelm should have helped Ms Brimble, and to ignore photographs of her dying on the cabin floor. 

The newspaper reports that the Court informed the jury that "it may have been morally reprehensible the way Ms Brimble was treated but there was a difference between morality and legal duties." 

Ms Brimble's former husband Mark Brimble and David Mitchell, her partner of many years, appeared before the media after the Court discharged the jury. Mr. Brimble stated that their three children, two sons and a daughter, were not doing well with the jury's failure to return a verdict.  News.au.com reports that Mr. Mitchell stated: "We will continue, of course, to fight for Dianne in our pursuit for the truth, with Dianne being the mother of our children." 

The newspaper also quotes Mr. Brimble stating:

"We're frustrated but we're not beaten. We're tired, but we're not finished. We're still here, supporting our children through this and Dianne's extended family and we'll continue to do so."

Mr. Brimble's and Mr. Mitchell's comments to the media are recorded in this video from ABC News Australia:

Is it possible that the case can be re-tried?  The Court has scheduled a conference on November 6, 2009 where this and other issues will be addressed.

Photo credits

Photo of Mark Wilhelm     AAP: Dean Lewins

Photo of Dianne Brimble   AAP: Jeremy Piper

Video of Mark Brimble and David Mitchell  ABC News Australia

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ABC News reports that an Australian jury in the trial of cruise passenger Mark Wilhelm, accused of killing Dianne Brimble aboard a P & O cruise ship, has reached an unanimous verdict on one of two charges.

The prosecution charged defendant Wilhelm with manslaughter and "supplying a prohibited drug" (the date rape drug, GHB).

We have discussed this case in previous blogs:

Date Rape Drugs on Cruise Ships - the Death of Dianne Brimble

"Crawfishing" - Passengers in P & O Cruises Death Case Can't Remember A Thing

Another Crawfishing Witness in the Dianne Brimble Trial

Jury Is Out in Dianne Brimble Cruise Death Case

Dianne Brimble and the Lessons to Teach Our Young Men

It is conceivable that the jury all agreed that Wilhelm gave Ms. Brimble the date rape drug, but they cannot unanimously agree on the homicide charge.  The newspaper reports that the judge could accept a verdict of 11 - 1.  The seven woman - five man jury will continue to deliberate tomorrow. 

Ms. Brimble's former husband, Mark Brimble, heads the Australian chapter of the International Cruise Victims organization. 

For a reminder of the circumstances leading to Ms. Brimble's death, here is a video of the heavy partying aboard the P & O Cruises cruise ship:

Photo credit:

Photo of Mark Wilhelm    The Daily Telegraph

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The jury remains out on the trial of cruise passenger Mark Wilhelm who is accused of killing fellow passenger, Dianne Brimble, on the P & O Cruises' Pacific Sun by supplying her with the date rape drug fantasy. 

We have commented on the case, explaining the risk of date rape drugs and the "crawfishing" testimony of Wilhelm's cruise buddies Dragan Losic and Letterio Silvestri to get their buddy off of the hook for his bad conduct.

The case is now in the hands of the jurors, who have endured the technical arguments of defendant Wilhelm's lawyers that Ms. Brimble did not have the drugs forced upon her, and so forth, and so on, and etcetera and etcetera. 

The jury will return its verdict this week.  The results seem to be a crap shoot, although I predict a conviction of defendant Wilhelm for giving Ms. Brimble the GHB which killed her.  But, and there is always a but, if the jury acquits Wilhelm - he will leave the courthouse with smiles and nervous laughter of relief. 

And the injustice to the Brimble family will continue.

Whatever the verdict, there remains the disturbing images of what happened on the Pacific Sun in 2002. Lessons remain to be learned to prevent a repeat of this disaster.

Several years ago, I printed out two articles which I have kept in my home office to remind me of this sad case.

One article was in the Sydney Morning Herald by Robert Wainwright entitled "Women Fair Game for Cruise's Hunting Pack." This is a disturbing article, filled with sexual predators and "the heady cocktail of alcohol, drugs and the thought of women trapped aboard a ship . . ."

If you read this article, you will need a shower to remove the sleaze.  There is no denying the palpable depravity on the P & O Cruises' cruise ship, with no real security and an "anything goes" attitude which are as responsible for Ms. Brimble's death as the scummy men who preyed upon her. 

The other article is entitled "Dianne Brimble and Me" by author Caroline Hutchinson who wrote the book  "Is It Just Me?"

Ms. Hutchinson's self-reflective article reveals the horror of Ms. Brimble’s death on the floor of an economy-class cabin of the Pacific Sky cruise ship and the despicable men who caused her death.  Ms. Hutchinson writes:

"One of these men, Leo Silvestri, told the police that Dianne Brimble’s death in his cabin ruined his holiday. He has admitted that on the morning in question, he woke to find Mrs Brimble dead on the floor, then showered and dressed her lifeless body.

Witnesses have told the inquest Mr. Silvestri later joked with fellow passengers that he considered throwing her body overboard.

Mr Silvestri told police that the night before Mrs. Brimble died, she allegedly walked up to his table and said: 'Hi, how are you going?'

'It’s like, Hi, see you. I just brushed her off; I didn’t want to speak to her ... breath, yuck, ugly dog, just go talk to someone else. Ring the RSPCA,' Silvestri said.

Later in the interview, Mr. Silvestri repeatedly referred to Mrs. Brimble as the 'thing' and called her the 'ugly dog.' 

He prided himself on the fact he didn’t 'talk to anything over 60 kilos.'

Ms. Hutchinson's article brings home the frightful specter of an insecure women running into a pack of wolves like this, whether the setting is a cruise ship or a neighborhood bar.  What are the lessons to be learned from this terrible tale?  Ms. Hutchinson again brings the point home reflecting on the question of how we are raising our own boys: 

"I want you to take a look around today. Look at your sons, and think about what their values are.

Are your boys kind? Are they generous of spirit? Do they think about the needs of other people? Are they brave? Do you trust them to do the right thing?

Would your son stand up for a drunken girl being harassed or degraded by a group of older blokes? Would he drag Dianne Brimble out of a ship’s cabin and get her help?

Look at your son.

Ask yourself if he’s that kind of boy.

Photo Credit:

Photo of "gang of 8"      The Age newspaper

Book cover "Is It Just Me?"    Caroline Hutchinson 

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Seven years after passenger Dianne Brimble died after ingesting a date rape drug aboard P & O Cruises' Pacific Sky in 2002, the jury has finally retired to consider its verdict.

Australian citizen and fellow passenger Mark Wilhelm is accused of the manslaughter death of Ms. Brimble after he allegedly gave her the drug Gamma Hydroxybutyrate ("GHB") during a cruise aboard the Pacific Sky.  In a previous article, I discussed that cruise passengers are at risk of rape after surreptitiously being given date rape drugs like GHB and Rohypnol.

Women have been drugged and raped on the Carnival subsidiary, sister brands - P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises.  These cruise lines know there is a danger presented to passengers and crew of date rape drugs and sexual assault of unconscious women - but refuse to admit or discuss the problem in public.

Yesterday, the prosecution dropped its charges that that Mr. Wilhelm displayed gross criminal negligence by failing to summons assistance after after she passed out and was left on the floor of the cabin. 

The jury is now left with the sole issue whether defendant Wilhelm committed a crime by supplying her with GHB, also known as the drug "fantasy."  The coroner has already concluded that Ms. Brimble died after being given a toxic mix of alcohol and GHB.

Although Mr. Wilhelm is rightfully considered to be one of the unsavory "gang of eight" aboard the cruise ship, a guilty verdict may be difficult to obtain.  His buddies obviously tried to cover for him during the five week trial.  I previously reported that Wilhelm's traveling mate Dragan Losic conveniently forgot facts which would incriminate Wilhelm.  And one of the other sleazy gang-of-eight members Letterio Silvestri also developed a selective memory during the trial.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Wilhelm's  defense lawyer claims that Ms. Brimble took the drug ''freely and voluntarily" and "without pressure or duress.'' Of course, Mr. Brimble is not here to tell the truth of what happened on the night in question. She ended up dead, face down on the floor of a cabin, after having the misfortune of running  into the "gang of eight."    

Over the weekend, I was the first to report in the U. S. (on Twitter and in this blog) that another passenger just reported being raped aboard P & O Cruises' Pacific Sun cruise ship. Seven years later and here we are again. The problem of date rape drugs, rapes, thugs, and shipboard deaths are issues which the U. S. traveling public would rather not think about. 

But the Brimble family has been suffering for seven years, and no one in the U. S. seems to be paying attention. The cruising public is focused on the never ending stories of bigger and bigger cruise ships and smaller and smaller cruise fares.

It has taken seven years to bring the Dianne Brimble case to trial.  When the jury returns its verdict, will anyone in the U. S. be listening?  Does anyone care?     

Photo credit:

Photo of Mark Wilhelm     Getty Images (via www.daylife.com)        

Group photo of men        Sydney Morning Herald 

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ABC News in Australia reports that police are investigating a sexual assault which occured on the cruise ship Pacific Sun operated by Princess Cruises' sister company P & O Cruises. The alleged crime took place on the P & O cruise ship during a seven day cruise of the South Pacific near Noumea. Australian police boarded the Pacific Sun when the ship returned to Brisbane today.

At this time there is little information other than the ABC News report.  The newspapers in Australia resemble, at least to me, the British press. They are aggressive in reporting stories like this.  I expect there to be numerous articles on line soon.

In a post earlier today, I commented on the risk passengers face of sexual assault on cruises, both by crew members and other passengers. I have commented extensively on the sexual assault of P & O Cruises passenger Dianne Brimble who died on the Pacific Sun. 

Cruise lines have suffered from terrible publicity due to the irresponsible way that they have responded to shipboard crimes.  For example, after Ms. Brimble died, the P & O brand (a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation which also owns sister company Princess Cruises), began running a highly sexualized marketing campaign touting an image of booze and sex. 

A commenter to a previous post commented that P & O "pimped out their female passengers, with the 'Seamen Wanted' promotional postcard, depicting a deck full of women wearing bikinis, accompanied by a tag line 'More girls, more sun, more fun. There's nothing else a guy needs to know.' "  

In a post last week, I praised the leadership of P & O's CEO Ann Sherry who inherited this mess but seems to have brought a professionalism and air of transparency to the cruise line.

In the past, P & O Cruises issued a press statement following a sexual assault on the Pacific Star. 

The last time the press reported a sexual assault on a Princess Cruises or P & O cruise was earlier this year. A Princess Cruises waiter assaulted and attempted to rape a passenger aboard Princess Cruises' Coral Princess. The Princess Cruises' employee,  identified as Jorge Manuel Teixeira, 38, of Portugal, was arraigned on three counts each of aggravated sexual assault and sexual abuse.  He is awaiting trial. 

A  P & O passenger was also raped aboard the Pacific Star earlier this year as well. A newspaper in Australia reported that the P & O ship's crew found a 46-year-old female passenger in a state of shock and suffering bruises in the early hours following a New Year's Eve party.  She alleged that a 37-year-old Australian passenger raped her while she was sleeping in her cabin.  Like the instant case, the attack happened near Noumea.

Regarding this latest report of sexual assault, I expect that we will soon hear from Ms. Sherry, probably via YouTube if her lawyers will "let her do her thing."  Otherwise, the Australian press will be the only ones commenting on yet another sexual assault on a Princess or P & O cruise ship.

October 11, 2009 Update:

P & O Cruises has not issued a press release or provided an update on their website or ship blogs yet.  An online newspaper in Australia, News.com.au, reports that the alleged victim is  believed to be a juvenile.  Queensland police are investigating and have interviewed "people allegedly involved in the incident." But a police spokesperson indicated that no one had been arrested or charged. The spokesperson also "refused to say how many people were involved in the incident, or where they were from." 

Photo credit       Jim Walker, Star Princess, Seattle, July 4, 2009

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Cruise lines which are in touch with their market understand the need to be versed with all aspects of Social Media 2.0.  Twitter, FaceBook, Flickr, and YouTube all present an inexpensive and highly effective way to get a company's message out to the public.  This is particularly important in times of crisis management, such when a fire breaks out or a bout of swine flu is running its course on a cruise ship.

Most cruise lines remain clueless.  Royal Caribbean, for example, has a Twitter page @royalcaribbean, but it has not been updated since June 19th.  The only tweet says: "Look for updates here soon!" - that was over three months ago. It resembles an abandoned store front.  

Other cruise lines which are using Twitter or FaceBook are not maximizing the potential offered by social media applications.  Companies like NCL  @NCLFreestyle have pleasant enough websites and utilize Twitter but are mostly just trying to push ticket sales.  Recent tweets by NCL: "hottest new cruise," cruises for "$249," etc.  You get the idea.

The problem with these tweets is that they flaunt the etiquette which has developed on Twitter.  Effective "twitterers" understand that hard sale tactics don't work.  In fact, they turn potential customers off.  But interacting with the public, and providing accurate and relevant information via a conversation, works.  You could imagine how ineffective and counter productive it would be if I took NCL's approach on Twitter - "hottest new lawyer," lawsuits for "$249," etc.  A bad idea.

Princess Cruises - What's Social Media?

When things go wrong at sea, the public deserves to receive accurate information, fast. And Twitter is the best way to do just that. 

When the Princess cruise ship "Royal Princess" caught fire on June 18th, the cruise line didn't release any information to the public.  But a passenger, a Pastor from South Carolina,  @gregsurratt tweeted about the fire from his iphone on the cruise ship.  He indicated that the fire was bigger than expected, that the cruise ship was dark, and that a tug had to tow the ship back to port in Egypt.  Frantic families in the U.S. had to rely on Pastor Surratt for information about their loved ones. He even tweeted photos of the fire, the passengers sprawling out on the deck in the dark, and the tug via "Twitpic" - an application which permits photos to be uploaded onto Twitter. 

When the cruise line finally awoke and posted its typical less-than-forthcoming corporate press statement, no one was paying attention to Princess Cruises.  Everyone was listening to Pastor Surratt tweeting away on the cruise ship in the Mediterranean.  Most troubling was that the press releases finally issued from Princess Cruises' corporate offices in Santa Clarita down-played the incident and provided incomplete and misleading information. 

Princess Cruises not only lost an opportunity to interact with the public via Twitter, but it lost credibility in the process.    

Twitter and YouTube - Effective PR Tools - P & O Cruises Gets An "A" 

Princess Cruises' sister brand P & O Cruises knows what it is doing in the world of social media.  P & O Cruises has had more than its fair share of bad things happen on its cruise ships.  It is best known for the tragic death of Dianne Brimble, who died due to a toxic mix of alcohol and a date rape drug several years ago.  The brand was known for heavy drinking, out of control parties and general debauchery.

But in the last two years, the cruise line has turned its image around.  The PR people at this cruise line rebulit P & O's reputation.  Social media played a big part.

For example, last May when the Pacific Dawn was sailing with passengers and crew infected with H1N1 swine flu, the news media in Australia went nuts. Front page news articles labeled the cruise ship the "swine ship."   

P & O went on the offensive. CEO Ann Sherry began giving short statements on the cruise line's blog.  The cruise line's website contains links to its Twitter and FaceBook pages as well as to "ship blogs" including the Pacific Dawn.  The cruise line knew how to upload videos of cruise activities to its ship blogs as part of its general marketing. It now had the experience to use this media to deal with this crisis. 

Ms. Sherry appeared on the scene, wearing a very smart red dress, and looked directly into the camera. She provided information about sick passengers and what the company was doing to address the issue. The cruise line used its Twitter page @POCruises to provide additional updates and links to the video.  It even uploaded a photo via "Twitpic" of Ms. Sherry, standing in the rain surrounded by reporters, while the beleaguered cruise ship with its sick passengers arrived at port. 

When the flu passed its course, the next ship blog, entitled "Clean Ship," showed photos of the Captain and crew having fun in the disco, smiling and laughing.  The message to the public was quite effective - everything is fine, come on aboard.

In the past several months, P & O Cruises continues to use social media effectively.  Ms, Sherry still appears regularly on YouTube videos, talking about the presence of surveillance cameras on the cruise ships, responsible drinking programs, and "customer care" teams.

it is nice to see a cruise line connecting with the public in this manner.     

Photo credits  

Photo no. 1 of Ann Sherry - Zimbio - "P & O Cruises Holds Swine Flu Conference" (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Other photographs and video - P & O Cruises

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The criminal trial arising from the death of P & O Cruises' passenger, Dianne Brimble, has now seen another witness suddenly forget incriminating details surrounding Ms. Brimble's death.

In a previous article, I commented on the phenomenon of "crawfishing" witness, who like crawfish crawling back into a hole, backpedal from the truth when placed under pressure. 

Today, the trial included another one of the "8 persons of interest," Letterio Silvestri.  ABC News in Australia reports that Mr. Silvestri could no longer remember his friend Mark Wilhelm having sex with Ms. Brimble in the cabin after she had been drugged.  Nor could Mr. Silvestri remember pushing Ms. Brimble off of the bed and onto the floor shortly before she died of a toxic mix of alcohol and GBH. This story was also reported by the Australian newspaper. 

This follows the spectacle of "gang of 8" witness Dragan Losic being unable to remember meeting Ms. Brimble or seeing her in the cabin or recalling date rape drugs on the cruise ship as he originally testified at a preliminary hearing. This is not to mention reluctant witness Matthew Slade, who originally  told police he saw a naked body in the cabin. But once under oath at trial he could not remember a thing.

What a bunch of crustaceans.   

Photo credit  -    AAP Image: Mick Tsikas, via ABC News Australia  

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A 67-year-old passenger is the latest "disappearance" from a cruise ship.  This case involves a U.S. citizen who sailed on Princess Cruises' cruise ship Sapphire Princess from Alaska en route to Vancouver.  She has not been identified.

According to Dr. Ross Klein, the leading authority on passenger disappearances in the world , there have been over 120 "disappearances" from cruise ships over the past ten years. Princess Cruises claims that it did not know that the passenger was noticed missing until she did not leave the cruise ship at the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia. 

The last time the Sapphire Princess was in the news was when it returned to port with a dead whale impaled on its bow.

Princess Cruises issued the usual scripted press release: "We notified authorities and are offering our full cooperation . . . " The public relations statement was issued by cruise line PR representative Julie Benson. 

The cruise industry lost its credibility long ago, by systematically attempting to explain away each "disappearance" by blaming the passenger.  I previously commented that the usual cruise line PR ploy is to label the disappearance a suicide long before the FBI or U.S. Coast Guard have concluded their investigations.

The Seattle Times is reporting on the story.  As of the posting of this article, there are three comments to the article which pretty much sum up the cruise industry's sorry reputation when it comes to passenger over-boards:

"Great, now that the criminals have found out how easy it is to rob cruise ship passengers, and toss them overboard, safety will never be the same."

"ANOTHER passenger missing on a cruise ship..?? W..T..F..???  Is this the new method of 'suicide', or murder..?"

"Cruise ships are notorious for crap that goes on. This recent spate of these events could reflect sexual assault and murder or they could be people just falling overboard but the scope of ill aspects of taking a cruise is something the cruise lines work hard to suppress from the media."

At this point, little information has been revealed.  Will Princess Cruises keep the public informed? Based on my experiences with this cruise line, Princess Cruises completely lacks transparency. The only useful information will come from the FBI or from passengers on the cruise ship itself. 

The cruise line is versed with social media and has a Twitter account @PrincessCruises and its PR representative is @juliebenson.  Do I expect there to be any information forthcoming from an organization like this?

No. Hopefully there will be some honest passengers who have information to share with the investigating authorities.      

Photo credit           

Photo of Sapphire Princess          PO Cruises

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The criminal trial in Australia regarding the death of Dianne Brimble on P & O Cruises' Pacific Sky continues with key witnesses having a complete lapse of memory. 

In a previous article, I commented on the danger of passengers, like Ms. Brimble, being given "Fantasy" or other date rape drugs on cruise ships.

Dragan Losic (with goatee), one of "8 persons of interest" in Ms. Brimble's death, appeared in Court. Over the course of three hours of his testimony, he could not even remember meeting Dianne Brimble on the first night of the cruise, just hours before she died in his friends' cabin. 

Australia's "The Age" newspaper reports that Mr. Losic previously testified in what is called a "coronial inquest." At that time, he clearly recollected that he was the first to meet Ms Brimble in a disco on the cruise ship and he later observed her in his friend's cabin.  He also remembered "Fantasy" on the cruise ship.  But now with his friend on trial for Ms.Brimble's death, Mr. Losic can't remember a thing.

Another key witness, Matthew Graham Slade, who testified today also changed his story. Australian news website news.com.au reports that Mr. Slade originally told police that  he awoke on the cruise and  saw a naked body on the floor of his cabin. But at trial, he claims that he can't remember this at all. 

In New Orleans where I went to law school, we called this "crawfishing."  This is a term which characterizes a crawfish (or other crustacean) which crawls backwards, usually into a hole, when confronted with danger. 

Date rape drugs.  Crawfishing witnesses.  A devastated family.  The trial continues. 

Photo credit      Sydney Morning Herald 

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