Total disregard for the safety caused death of 17 year-old in ladder fall
The owner of a gutter cleaning company has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced (14/10/2016) at Exeter Crown Court following an incident in December 2014 in which 17-year-old Mason Beau Jennians (known as Beau) died when he fell from a ladder.
Colin Jeffery (Utterley Gutterley T/A) from Paignton, pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter by gross negligence and a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for work undertaken at the Coach House, Abbotskerswell where Beau fell to his death when carrying out work from the ladder.
The court heard that Beau fell 6.7m from the ladder whilst painting the eaves of the house.
Colin Jeffery was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence, and pleaded guilty to further health and safety offences at four other properties in the Torbay area, a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
He was sentenced to a total of five year in prison.
The company failed to consider or implement most basic safety measures
Mason Beau Jennians (known as Beau)
Judge Graham Cottle said the trial had shown that Jeffery exploited teenage boys as cheap labour and that the defendant’s negligence was “as bad as it could possibly have been”.
