THIS is the shocking moment a speedboat driver with a vessel full of passengers crashes into a teenage kayaker.

Alarming footage shows Adam Russell, 28, speeding through the waters of the River Cleddau, in South Wales.

Aerial view of a speedboat crashing into a kayaker in a river.
Video clips show Adam Russell head straight towards the young kayakerCredit: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
 

A speedboat leaving a white wake in a river with sailboats.
The speedboat went straight over the 15-year-old’s boat and pushed him under waterCredit: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
 

Adam Russell, a speedboat driver prosecuted under a new water safety law.
Adam Russell, 28, was sentenced at Swansea Crown CourtCredit: WNS
Within seconds, Russell smashes into the 15-year-old kayaker and the boat goes straight over him.

Swansea Crown Court heard how the teen was left with cuts and bruising to his face and arms but miraculously came away without serious injury.

He hasn’t taken part in any water sports since the traumatic incident on August 11, 2024.

The court heard Russell had been seated while operating the single-engine duo-prop speedboat, White Mischief, at unsafe speeds.

This meant the bow was lifted and he couldn’t see what was in front of him on the water – despite carrying six passengers with him including children.

Meanwhile, his 15-year-old victim was in a brightly coloured kayak with a group wearing red life jackets.

The young kayaker noticed Russell’s boat speeding towards him and tried to desperately paddle out of the way.

After the incident, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officers launched an investigation.

UK’s top al-Qaeda terror master who plotted attacks on British soil could be FREED

Cops launch search for missing schoolgirl, 14, who vanished in broad daylight

Winter storm breaks temperature records with over THIRD of US in emergency

The MCA led the prosecution with support from Dyfed Powys Police and Milford Haven Port Authority.

Russell was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, in what was the first prosecution by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) under new watercraft safety legislation.

In addition to the suspended prison term, Russell must carry out 15 hours of required activity, 200 hours unpaid work and pay his victim a total of £1,676 in compensation for damage to property and personal injury, plus £3,000 prosecution costs.

Judge Geraint Walters said: “Just like our roads, our seas and our rivers are not playgrounds.

“They are required by all of us to recognise the risk to others innocently going about their business.”

MCA Investigator Paul Atkins added: “This case shows the importance of keeping a proper lookout and operating safely… if circumstances had been only slightly different, there could have been a terrible tragedy.

Port of Milford Haven Harbourmaster Mike Ryan said: “The incident on the Milford Haven Waterway was extraordinarily dangerous with a very real threat to life, yet it was also completely avoidable.

“We support the MCA’s decision to prosecute the defendant for failing to keep an effective lookout.

Schoolboy stabbed to death in wood is pictured as family friend pays tribute

“It is an important reminder that not only do Waterway users have a responsibility to keep themselves and any passengers safe, but also a responsibility towards every other user of the Waterway.

“Keeping watch is one of the most important aspects of staying safe afloat: look ahead, look behind and look left and right, adjust your speed as necessary and take early, clear and decisive action to avoid collisions.”

Damaged purple kayak with a large hole in its side.
The purple kayak was completely wrecked in the incidentCredit: WNS
 

Damage to a purple kayak.
The youngster was left with cuts and bruisesCredit: WNS
 

A man in sunglasses and a hoodie sits at an outdoor table with two beers, facing a sunny street with palm trees, people, and buildings.
Russell received a 12 month sentence suspended for two years