A BOAT captain's decision to ignore warnings of a monsoon contributed to the death of a Sale woman who drowned after a speedboat crash in Thailand, a coroner has ruled.

Monica O'Connor, 28, from Sale, was on her honeymoon in Koh Samui with husband Tim last May.

A two-day hearing at South Manchester Coroner's Court heard they were among 32 tourists on a boat when it capsized after being hit by a wave as it returned from a day-long tour on May 26 2016.

The inquest was told a warning had been issued by Thailand's meteorological department warning small boats not to sail out to sea due to a monsoon.

Boat captain Sanan Sridakeow and operator Limited Partnership Angthong Discovery Tour both admitted offences including causing death due to recklessness at Koh Samui Provincial Court last September.

Another man, Jason Parnell, 46, from Sileby, Leicestershire, also died.

On Tuesday, senior coroner for South Manchester Alison Mutch recorded a narrative verdict into the deaths.

She said: "They died as a result of drowning, contributed to by the decision to operate the tour when a known weather warning was in force, prohibiting small boats from sailing out to sea from May 24 to 27 2016."

Ms Mutch said no safety briefing was provided to passengers on board, there was no individual allocation of life jackets to each passenger and a decision was made to sail the boat too close to the shore.

The inquest heard Sridakeow was jailed for a year and fined 5,000 Thai baht, equivalent to about £115, after the tragedy, in which two tourists of other nationalities also drowned.

The tour operator was fined 15,000 baht (£341).

Ms Mutch offered her condolences to Mr O'Connor and Mrs Parnell, who both gave evidence of the moment the boat capsized.

The coroner said: "I'm truly sorry that what should have been memorable holidays in the most positive and happy ways ended in the ways they did.

"I'm sure, notwithstanding the amount of time that has passed, the events of the day are etched very clearly on the minds of both of you."

Speaking after the inquest, Mr O'Connor said he hoped lessons would be learnt following his wife's death.

The 31-year-old said: "Going through the inquest process has been incredibly difficult, particularly with the findings outlining just how Monica's death could and perhaps should have been prevented.

"I miss her more each day and ultimately nothing is ever going to bring her back.

"My hope now is that the appropriate lessons can be learned from today's findings to ensure no one else has to suffer the heartache and pain of losing a loved one when it could be prevented."

Solicitor Daniel Matchett, an international personal injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell, representing Mr O'Connor, added: "Monica's death was tragic and is still deeply upsetting for Tim.

"The inquest has answered some questions, but we will now work with him to get justice regarding Monica's death.

"It's of paramount importance that the findings of this inquest are noted and that the lessons are learned to ensure the safety of others on similar boat trips in future."