Christine Agnew KC and Alex Davidson prosecute company and manager convicted of manslaughter offences

Christine Agnew KC and Alex Davidson prosecuted a waste disposal company for corporate manslaughter and its yard manager for gross negligence manslaughter following the death of an employee who was crushed to death by an industrial shredder. The Crown’s case was that the death was caused by gross breaches of the duty of care each defendant owed to the deceased. For the company, this centred on the failings in its corporate arrangements for the effective management of health and safety. In the case of the yard manager, it was alleged that the negligent way in which he operated the shredder whilst the deceased was helping to clear a blockage carried a serious and obvious risk of death. Both defendants were unanimously convicted by a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court of the manslaughter offences which they faced. Sentencing will take place on 15 December 2023. The case has been reported here.