"Shark Attack Survivors News Archive"

11/27/2010 Michael Utley ( Australia ) ***Fatal***Scavenged?

Recent listing of shark attacks 2010 and Shark Attack Related Incidents in 2010.
Post Reply
alb
Posts: 1569
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:41 pm

11/27/2010 Michael Utley ( Australia ) ***Fatal***Scavenged?

Post by alb »

Body of British backpacker missing for four days found at shark-infested Australian beach

By Richard Shears
Tragedy: Mortuary workers are to check the body of Michael Utley to see if there is evidence of a shark attack
Tragedy: Mortuary workers are to check the body of Michael Utley to see if there is evidence of a shark attack
Michael_Utley.jpg (32.39 KiB) Viewed 17684 times
Tragedy: Mortuary workers are to check the body of Michael Utley to see if there is evidence of a shark attack

A large shark, believed to be a feared great white, has been lurking in waters where a British backpacker lost his life, police said last night.

Mortuary attendants have been asked to check if the body of 30-year-old Michael Utley, recovered from a beach in south west Australia, shows signs of a shark attack.

However police could not immediately confirm if the Briton had been attacked or had drowned after being caught in a fierce current which had battered and bruised his body.

Police Sergeant Bob Scott based at Jerramungup, near the town of Albany, 325 miles south of Perth, said the shark had been seen as evening was setting in and the darkness prevented it from being identified.

'A helicopter which was involved in the search did go closer to investigate the shark, but it went down into deeper water,' he said.

'Just the fact that it was in the area was a psychological factor but it didn't affect the search.'

Mr Utley, from Bolton, went missing in the ocean off Native Dog Beach on Saturday and it wasn't until early yesterday that his body was found on neighbouring Dillon Beach, fronting Bremer Bay.

A team of more than 100 rescuers, including police divers, surf life-savers, supported by helicopters and boats had combed the area.

The body was found by volunteer searchers and while it has to be formally identified police sources said all the indications were that it was the Englishman.


Hidden dangers: The rip current at Native Dog Beach saw Mr Utley's friends dragged to another part of the coastline, close to where he was found
Hidden dangers: The rip current at Native Dog Beach saw Mr Utley's friends dragged to another part of the coastline, close to where he was found
Hidden dangers: The rip current at Native Dog Beach saw Mr Utley's friends dragged to another part of the coastline, close to where he was found
Michael_Utley_2.jpg (30.82 KiB) Viewed 17684 times
While a possible shark attack is being investigated, police are also looking at the possibility that Mr Utley ran into trouble when he was caught in a strong current as he swam with four friends.

The rip was so fierce that Mr Utley's friends were washed ashore on a beach around the coast from where his body was ultimately found.

'It's a pretty rough coastline and the conditions were atrocious where they went in to have a swim,' said Sergeant Scott.


'Where he was actually swimming there was a lot of foamy water about and visibility was poor because of that.'

Michael_Utley_3.jpg
Michael_Utley_3.jpg (29.87 KiB) Viewed 17684 times
Mr Utley, a plasterer, had been on a working holiday in Australia since December last year.

His twin brother Mark, who lives in Westhoughton, Bolton, said his family had been 'keeping the faith' and hoping that Mr Utley had been carried ashore still alive onto a part of the coastline, which stretched for miles.

'As soon as they were faced with the waves, they all knew they had to go back to the shore,' said Mr Utley.
Predator: Mark's family have been told that a great white shark was spotted close to where he was found and that police are not ruling anything out
Predator: Mark's family have been told that a great white shark was spotted close to where he was found and that police are not ruling anything out
Michael_Utley_4.jpg (30.52 KiB) Viewed 17684 times
Predator: Mark's family have been told that a great white shark was spotted close to where he was found and that police are not ruling anything out

He had been told by police before his brother was found that there was a shark in the water and police were not ruling anything out.

Michael's mother, Susan, who lives in California, was last night flying back to the UK from Germany with her husband Graham Liles, who works there.

Before the tragic news came in that the body found on Dillon Beach was almost certainly that of Michael, Mark said: 'I had spoken to him on Friday and he was saying he was going to stay out there (in Australia) because he was making good money and when he got back that we should go into the property business together.'

Mark now plans to travel to Australia with his mother and is expecting to have to formally identify his brother's body.

'He was enjoying it in Australia and was looking forward to spending Christmas there,' he said.

'He would say he would 'just throw a shrimp on the barbecue' in his Australian accent.'

Mark said his hard-working brother, who played even harder, was 'really popular' and lived life to the full.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -life.html
We have another tool we are building at https://sharkattacks.net
Post Reply

Return to “2010 Shark Attack Related Incidents”