A man charged with causing the death of a woman in a Hamilton Harbour boat crash told police he “might have been going too fast”, a jury heard yesterday.

PC Milton Hill told the court that minutes after the crash last June, Andrew Lake approached him and said he had been driving one of the boats involved in the collision.

Mr Hill said: “He said to us he didn’t know what happened.

“He said: ‘I was going maybe 15, 20 knots. I might have been going too fast’.”

The court heard the speed limit in Hamilton Harbour had earlier been reduced from 20 knots to 10 for the America’s Cup.

Mr Hill said Mr Lake said he had swerved to avoid one boat and struck another one.

Mr Hill added: “I asked him if he knew if the boat was illuminated. He said it may or may not have been.”

The court heard earlier that Mr Lake’s boat struck a semi-inflatable boat with three people on board late on the night of June 1 last year.

Mary McKee, a 62-year-old visitor from New Zealand, was killed.

Mr Lake, 27, has denied a charge of manslaughter.

Mr Hill said he and Acting Sergeant Mark Monk were sent to Hamilton Ferry Terminal at around 11pm on the night of the crash.

He added he saw an orange inflatable boat and paramedics working on a man with leg injuries.

Mr Hill said he saw charter motor yacht Uber Vida head for the dock “at some speed” minutes later.

He added crew members were doing CPR on a woman.

Mr Hill said: “I spoke to the captain, who explained that the woman had been found in the water about half way between Front Street and White’s Island.”

Mr Hill told the court he was approached by Mr Lake afterwards, who said he had been involved in the crash.

The officer said: “He explained that he had been working at the America’s Cup Village and he was travelling home to a live-aboard boat which was docked at the [Royal Hamilton Amateur] Dinghy Club.

“He said that he was travelling east, just past Two Rock when another boat pulled along side his starboard, or right.

“The boat was overtaking him. He continued saying that as the boat was passing him, his attention was drawn to him because he didn’t want it to get too close to him.

“As he looked back in front of him, he saw an orange small inflatable boat.”

Mr Hill told the court Mr Lake said he swerved to avoid the orange boat and struck a small, grey inflatable, which carried Ms McKee, her husband Arthur and charter sailing catamaran captain Charlie Watson.

The police officer said Mr Lake told him that he had stayed in the area to help with the recovery of the people on the grey inflatable.

Mr Hill added he arrested Mr Lake and took him to Hamilton Police Station.

The officer said: “Right after his arrest, when I was taking him to the police station, he was sullen. Quiet.

But he added that Mr Lake broke down after he arrived at the station.

Mr Hill said: “At that time he was very upset. Sobbing. He continued to ask me if we knew the status of the victims.”

Jerome Lynch, defence counsel for Mr Lake, asked if the police officers involved had suggested the speed his client had travelled.

But Mr Hill insisted that Mr Lake had volunteered the information.

The officer agreed that Mr Lake had approached the officers and had been co-operative.

The trial continues.