Director on manslaughter charge after toddler’s death

Grant Prior 14 years ago
Share

The Crown Prosecution Service has decided that construction director George Collier should be charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the death of Megan Burgess in Prestatyn, Wales in 2008.

Megan, aged three, was killed when a wall designed by Collier and built by his company, Parcol Developments Limited, collapsed on to a public footpath in Ffordd Penrhwyfla.

Rosemary Ainslie, reviewing lawyer for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “I have carefully reviewed all of the evidence gathered by North Wales Police and the Health and Safety Executive during their thorough investigation into the tragic death of Megan Burgess in July 2008.

“After considering reports from experts on construction standards and advice from counsel, I have decided that George Collier should be charged with gross negligence manslaughter for his role in designing and constructing the wall that collapsed.

“Mr Collier has been summonsed to appear at Prestatyn Magistrates’ Court on 3 October 2011.

“I have also decided that Parcol Developments Limited, of which Mr Collier was a director, should be charged with an offence under Section 3 of the Health and Safety Act at Work 1974.

“I did consider whether Parcol Developments should also be charged with corporate manslaughter.

“There is sufficient evidence to prosecute the company for this offence, but it would not be in the public interest to do so.

“The company had only two directors and Mr Collier was the only one directly involved in this incident. The charge against him is sufficiently serious to address the alleged offending.”

Senior Investigating Officer Mark Abbott of North Wales Police said: “The family have been kept fully updated throughout the investigation and they have been informed of this decision.

“This remains a difficult time for the family and they request that their privacy is respected.”

Latest news

Skanska lands design role on £1.25bn steelworks

Skanska team to work alongside main contractor McAlpine on Port Talbot project
6 hours ago

Bleak January for construction buyers

Latest bellwether survey shows output down and costs up
10 hours ago

Starmer rips up rules to ease building of nuclear reactors

Industry backs push for small modular reactors to be built where needed
13 hours ago

McAlpine tops January work league with steelworks win

Port Talbot steelworks job dominates January orders haul
14 hours ago

McLaren winning spree as £1bn turnover in sight

Major deals imminent as contractor posts stable set of results
21 hours ago

Ring road builder wanted at £4bn Somerset gigafactory

Bidders wanted for £60m job. Latest video update from site
1 day ago

Kier seals HMP Glasgow super prison job at £684m

Deal finally signed to replace Scotland's notorious Barlinnie prison
1 day ago

Contract winners revealed for £332m Didcot infrastructure job

Construction set to start early next year
13 hours ago

Fraudsters jailed after £22m construction tax scam

Gang sentenced after bogus payroll firm failed to pay VAT and CIS money to revenue
2 days ago

MPB clinches substructure for HS2 Curzon Street station

Contracts for station superstructure to be let in coming months
2 days ago

Flood defence spend rises to record £2.65bn over two-years

Key projects mapped as Government injects extra £250m to shore up defences
2 days ago

Turnaround strategy continues to pay off for Careys

Profits continue to rise as £50m investment plan in full swing
2 days ago

All change on £800m Eastern Highways Alliance

Octavius and Winvic sweep up all three lots in new line-up
2 days ago

Vinci bags first phase of £350m Stockport scheme

Contractor edges-out Willmott Dixon to start major mixed-used project
2 days ago

Crest Nicholson slumps to £144m loss

Incoming CEO review unearths further writedowns on fire remediation and closed divisions
3 days ago

Piling job cuts loom over safety regulator project delays

Bottleneck in high rise project approvals hits demolition and foundation firms
3 days ago

Developer Ghelamco swaps to self delivery for Battersea tower

John F Hunt no longer part of project team on 24-storey resi scheme
3 days ago

Pagabo starts renewal race for two mega frameworks

Contractors and developers asked for input on reshaping deals worth billions
3 days ago

Giant HS2 viaduct deck slide breaks records: Video

EKFB consortium oversees four-day installation
3 days ago

Ferrovial lands £230m National Grid tunnel

Work to start shortly on Grain to Tilbury electricity infrastructure upgrade
3 days ago

Tax-row tunnellers down tools on Balfour Hinkley job

Lodge allowance tax dispute hits tunnelling site
4 days ago

Go-ahead for Square Mile’s fifth tallest tower

Multiplex set to start 99 Bishopsgate job late next year
4 days ago

New £4.5bn funding model for stalled London rail schemes

Residential TIF funding offers key to unlock Bakerloo and DLR extensions
4 days ago

Speedy Hire latest to be hit by slow CP7 rail spending

Plant-hire firm flags issues with latest Network Rail spending round
4 days ago

FM Conway family chair steps away from business after Vinci deal

Joanne Conway steps away as Andrew Hansen becomes MD
4 days ago

Manchester Hotspur Press mill scheme rescued

37-storey student tower will now go-ahead
4 days ago

Watkin Jones to advance 260-room London aparthotel

Development deal for New Kent Road project
6 days ago

Plan for film studios switched to data centre cluster

Plans in for six data centre buildings in Buckinghamshire
1 week ago

Hunt for firm to deliver £75m Cambridge Civic Quarter

Work includes £41m Guildhall and £21m Corn Exchange revamps
7 days ago

Plans in for £200m Middlesbrough regen scheme

Wates is lined up to deliver landmark Gresham rental homes scheme
7 days ago

Contractor services