A RIVER Thames party boat captain from Tilbury has been fined £1,120 after falling asleep at the wheel of the vessel and hitting a pontoon, causing damage estimated at £1.6 million.

Daniel Wakefield, 38, nodded off at the wheel after he was kept awake all night by his newborn baby a court was told.

He appeared at Southwark Crown Court where the story of the late night drama unfolded.

The party boat, the Jewel of London, crashed in Wapping, East London, just after more than 100 passengers had disembarked. After hitting a pontoon at speed the captain put the boat in reverse and hit a police launch. The accident has been captured on a video released by the Sun newspaper.

Judge Philip Bartle said of Wakefield: "I am sure Mr Wakefield fell asleep because he was tired as a result of his commitments at home.

"He thought he was doing the right thing, taking care of his family, with dire consequences.

"He has four children and at the time of the incident his youngest was only a few months old."

London Party Boats Ltd, who run the Jewel, admitted failing to ensure the safe operation of the ship. They were fined £5,000 plus £15,225 costs.

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Wakefield, sobbed as the court heard he might never again set sail on the Thames.