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Deaths in 2001
Deaths in 2001
Back to Top Deaths in 2002
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS Sidney Cooper
Sidney, a self employed builder, died after falling 20 ft through the roof of a barn he was repairing. The
inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and Eastern Dorset Coroner’s
Court on 17 July 2001. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. David Collin Morley
David, a self-employed farm worker, was crushed against the wall of his farm by a car. The
inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s
Court on 30 August 2001. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Lionel Arthur Sauter
Lionel, a self-employed semi-retired builder, died when he fell backwards off a ladder and injured his head. The
inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s
Court on 24 October 2001. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Brian Smith
Brian, a partner in a haulage company, died of multiple injuries when a container he was lifting fell on him. The inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court on 13 August 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. On 8 November 2002 at Bournemouth Crown Court the owner of the haulage firm was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay over £7,000 costs for breaches of health and safety legislation (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (No 8) para1). The court heard that Brian was helping to move a 40ft freight container when one of the lifting slings broke and the container, weighing 3.6 tonnes, fell onto him. The slings had over-loaded due to the angle of lift and were not flat across the dee shackles used as part of the lift, so there was a likelihood they would tear. Kenneth Roberts
Kenneth, a self employed builder, died after falling from an unfooted ladder at a Ferndown building site. Neil was rushed to Poole Hospital and then transferred to the neurological unit at Southampton. He died two days later. The inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court on 17 July 2002. District coroner Sheriff Payne heard that Kenneth had been discussing work with contracts director Phillip Rook just minutes before the fall. Mr Rook, who was responsible for health and safety at the site, denied witnessing the fall but Kenneth's colleague, Neil Herbert, claimed that Mr Rook must have seen it happen.The Bournemouth inquest heard that health and safety regulations demand that ladders are 'footed' by another person standing on the ground. They should also be tied. There was also evidence, from the Health and Safety Executive that the ladder, owned by Kenneth, had, at some time before the accident, lost its safety feet, which might have prevented it sliding across a concrete floor. Neil Herbert told Mr Payne he believed Mr Rook saw the fall. 'To watch somebody go up a ladder without anybody holding it is not good. There should be somebody holding it so accidents like this don't happen.' He added, 'Mr Rook said he wasn't there but he was. Why would somebody say that?' Mr Rook told the inquest, 'I left Ken to carry on and I stood outside the unit. I heard a crash and then I returned to the unit.' The inquest heard that Kenneth and Neil Herbert had been sub-contracted to carry out roofing work at the site in Nimrod Way by Poole-based Stansmore Builders for whom Mr Rook was employed. Mr Payne told jurors that the lack of safety feet on the bottom of the ladder was the most likely explanation for the ladder slipping across the concrete floor. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Jenny Lewis and Rodney Skidmore
Rodney, a pilot, died along with his co-pilot were killed when the Lynx helicopter they were flying came down in the Atlantic Ocean. A Royal Navy photographer on board, Petty Officer Paul Hanson, survived the crash. The inquest was held at Western Dorset Coroner’s Court in June 2003. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The inquest was dedicated solely to Rodney's death as the body of co-pilot Jenny was never recovered. Paul Hanson told the inquest of his escape from the helicopter. 'I would like to pay tribute to Rodney and Jenny for keeping the aircraft in the air for as long as they did and enabling me to get out alive,' he said.
He told the inquest, 'I heard a bang from the starboard engine. The aircraft seemed to drop numerous feet, I couldn't tell how many feet it did drop down. We just nosedived and hit the water nose first.' Petty Officer Hanson, who was able to escape the helicopter despite a broken back, described the moment when he thought he had spotted the two pilots in the water. He said, 'There were two green helmets, they were no more than 50 or 60 feet away from me. I swam towards them, lifted them and they were empty. I hoped it was both of them but it was just empty helmets floating.' He added that he believed that a fire had broken out in one of the engines. Speaking to Lieutenant Lewis's mother, he added, 'I'm sorry the law's a fool when it won't allow me to hold an inquest into your daughter's death under exactly the same circumstances.' An air accident investigation was still ongoing.
Paul Clegg
Paul, an employee with a laundry services firm, died from heat exhaustion after getting inside the 13-metre long drum of an industrial washing machine to clear a blockage. Paul was trapped inside for more than two hours - because staff did not know there was an escape hatch The inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court in August 2003. The jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death' but said it had been 'contributed to by neglect'. Paul had to climb over or through different compartments in darkness using a torch to find the source of the blockage, but became trapped. Despite attempts by fellow workers to help him Paul spent more than two hours in the machine until fire crews cut through the tough stainless steel casing to get him out. One firefighter said his crew could not lift Mr Clegg through the compartments and on three or four occasions he asked a manager and an engineer if there was another way to gain entry only to be told there was not. But the inquest heard the machine had an access panel which was just one pocket along from where Paul had collapsed. A post-mortem examination found he died of heart failure brought on by hyperthermia. Dorset police told the court they would bring no criminal charges over the incident, as in their opinion the company's managers could not be said to have been 'grossly negligent'. At Bournemouth Crown Court on 7 July 2004 the company was fined £325,000 and ordered to pay £16,500 costs for breaching health and safety rules. Prosecuting counsel Mark Balysz said crawling through the machine 'was not an unusual occurrence' at the Winton laundry. He said it was 'pitch black' inside the washing machine with temperatures of up to 70 degrees centigrade. 'It was not rocket science to work out this was a very dangerous procedure. The temperature was not measured to make sure it was safe. They should have opened the access hatch before anyone entered the machine. The company didn't know of the existence of the hatch, there was no rescue equipment, no practice drills for rescues, no monitoring of time spent in the machine and insufficient means of communication.' He said safety guidance sent to the company by the machine's manufacturers and the Textile Services Association had 'not been considered in detail and maybe never even read'. Mr Balysz described the company's health and safety record as 'poor', recalling how they had previously been fined £59,000 for breaching legislation. Judge Roger Jarvis said, 'What tragically occurred on March 21 last year, family and friends lost their loved one and workmates lost a valued and respected colleague. I am quite sure the incident did not occur as a fault of some cost-cutting exercise to increase profit. It did, however, arise out of serious failings from a very senior level right down to those who were in attendance and in charge at the time of the accident.'
Neil Robertson
Neil was electrocuted after climbing a tree to cut a 15ft high hedge and suffering a fatal shock from 11,000-volt power lines at Willow Mead, Throop The inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court on 11 January 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Next-door neighbour Leonard Vincent told the hearing how he had heard a hedge trimmer starting up. 'He must have only cut a few branches when there was a heavy thud and he landed in my garden, about three yards away,' he said. Mr Vincent alerted the emergency services and a cardiac team tried in vain to revive Neil. He was airlifted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital where his death was confirmed a short time later. Home Office pathologist Dr Allan Anscombe said he had found burn marks on Neil's left thumb and both legs. A post-mortem examination showed he had been electrocuted. William Charman, who employed Bizibees Ltd to carry out weekly garden maintenance work, said, 'I did not expect them to trim the tops of the trees. It was the electricity company's responsibility to cut the hedge.' The jury heard how Neil's employer Keith Tricksey had been mowing the lawn and wearing ear protectors, unaware of what had happened, until he heard the commotion in the adjoining garden. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Frank Flannery told the hearing how the power lines and a warning notice in Mr Charman's garden had complied with safety regulations. Electrical specialist Efion Davies confirmed no defects have been found on the 7ft 11ins long petrol-driven hedge trimmer. 'The only source of electric was the overhead power lines. Given the deceased was using a long reach hedge trimmer, under overhead cables, there was a high risk of direct or indirect contact. A risk assessment should have been carried out. No work should have been done until the owners of the line had been consulted.' Mr Tricksey declined to give evidence. After jurors returned the verdict, Neil's father, also called Neil Robertson, said, 'I'm not happy and intend to take civil action. There are so many questions left unanswered.' "Neil was a loveable rogue who would have helped anyone. If we were in trouble all we had to do was pick up the phone and he would be right there. He was that sort of lad. Mr Flannery described the HSE's investigation as 'ongoing'.
Thomas Mooney
Thomas, known as Tommy, and another, his employer and colleague, were severely injured after two gas cylinders they were working on exploded at the scrapyard where they both worked. More than 30 firefighters were called to the Reliance scrapyard after the explosion. An eyewitness said, 'All of sudden there was a massive explosion. We ducked, instinct made us duck. I looked up in the air and there was this huge chunk of flaming metal. It must have flown 60ft in the air, above the electric pylons and came down 15-20ft away from us with an almighty bang.' A total of 10 factory and business premises were evacuated following the fire and were not re-opened until the afternoon. Any inquest would be held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court. Directors of Reliance Scrap Metal Merchants and the Company itself faced manslaughter and health and safety charges over Thomas's death. In October 2007 Charles Parry, prosecuting, told the jury at Winchester Crown Court that the cylinder contained gasses including propane, butane and acetylene, which burned at temperatures of up to 5,000C. Reliance scrapyard boss David Matthews denied manslaughter and said Thomas was just walking by when it exploded. Mr Matthews and fellow director Michael Anderson also denied breaching health and safety legislation. Mr Matthews was also seriously injured in the incident. They were using a machine called a sheer compactor that could apply a cutting force of up to 600 tons. As it began to slice into one cylinder, it sent chunks of metal 'hurtling through the air', the court was told. Both men were badly burned, but it was Thomas who suffered the worst injuries when he was 'engulfed' in a fireball that destroyed his hair and clothes. He died later in hospital but not before telling a visitor 'we were cutting up bottles and we shouldn't have been', the jury was told. Investigators found the valve was still intact on the cylinder that exploded, meaning it could still have contained traces of acetylene gas. The jury was told personal items that dropped out of Thomas's pockets when his clothes were destroyed by the flames pointed to him being in a hopper that fed metal into the compactor. The firm's own accident report also stated Thomas and his boss had been working together at the time of the fatal explosion. The judge at Winchester Crown Court ordered a retrial. On Monday 11 August 2008, the jury found Matthews guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice – and guilty of two counts under health and safety legislation (Sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act). On Tuesday 12 August 2008, the jury found Matthews not guilty of manslaughter. On Monday 11 August 2008 the jury found Anderson guilty of one count of perverting the course of justice and on Tuesday 12 August 2008, Anderson was found not guilty of a second count of perverting the course of justice. On Tuesday 12 August 2008, the company was found not guilty of corporate manslaughter. The company had previously pleaded guilty to two counts under health and safety legislation. On 23 September 2008, in total for the offences, Reliance Scrap-Metal Merchants was fined a total of £60,000 (reduced from £90,000 because of an early guilty plea) and David Matthews was fined a total of £1,000. Costs were still to be determined. Matthews was sentenced to three years for perverting the course of justice. Fellow director Michael Anderson received 15 months, while employee David Lomas was jailed for six months, after admitting the same charge.
Eddie Franklin
Eddie, a fishing boat skipper, drowned as his boat sunk while he went to get lifejackets to try to save his two passengers in Weymouth Bay. He was trapped inside the wheelhouse as the 33ft boat started taking in water through a damaged area of the hull and sank seconds later. Both passengers David Copp and Tina Bowerman survived. They were plucked from the sea by the coastguard helicopter near Lulworth after having clung to one lifejacket for 45 minutes. Eddie, whose leg had become trapped under a winch, was recovered from the boat more than 70ft below sea by a diver later that day. The jury at West Dorset Coroners' Court on 25 April 2006 returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inspector told the inquest that the standard of maintenance of the vessel was poor and the boat would not have met the fishing code or the more stringent code of practice required by vessels carrying passengers. Mr Copp, an aquarium technologist from Weymouth, told the inquest he often went out with Mr Franklin to trawl for fish and marine life for aquariums. Ms Bowerman had joined the pair to see the specimens they caught and enjoy a day on the sea. Mr Copp said they noticed something was wrong with the boat and when Eddie looked inside the hull he found a large amount of water. By this time, the boat was standing up and Eddie went to get a lifejacket for Ms Bowerman and then went down below to try and get another two, Mr Copp said. 'That was when the boat flipped over. It stood up on its nose,' said Mr Copp. 'I was thrown out of the wheelhouse door on to the deck and it went down all around me and I found myself clinging on to the nose of the boat. Eddie was nowhere in sight. I was trying to get up to him to try to save him. Then the boat sank beneath me and I swam to Tina and with that one lifejacket I was kept alive.' James Lee, MAIB inspector, told the inquest that recent damage had been found near the stern, which would have allowed water into the aft and the engine room. He said: "I found the standard of maintenance rather poor. There were various symptoms of the maintenance being neglected or carried out in an improper manner.'
Christopher Losper
Christopher, a milkman, died in a hit-and-run collision during his early morning round just before 4.30am. Christopher was found by a passing motorist lying in Station Road near his milk float in West Moors, Ferndown. He died at the scene of the incident from head injuries. The inquest would have been held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court. In March 2007 18-year-old Tony Revell pleaded guilty to causing Christopher's death by dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident. He received a four-year sentence and was also banned from driving for five years, his licence endorsed and he was ordered to take an extended driving test before returning to the road. Bournemouth Crown Court heard Revell was driving to a friend's house after a night out in Bournemouth town centre when his car struck Christopher and his float as he delivered milk in Station Road, West Moors. Christopher suffered massive head injuries and was thrown 40ft across the road. Revell, who had a passenger in the car and was being followed by a friend in another vehicle, failed to stop or report the accident to police. Joanna Morrissey, prosecuting, told the court one of Revell's friends told him he believed he had hit a person but Revell still did nothing. 'Panic had set in,' she told the court. 'The group had been drinking and no-one knew what to do. Unfortunately what they did was go to bed and sleep.' The court heard Revell's red Nissan Bluebird was badly damaged and that he drove it two miles from the accident scene to a friend's home with two flat tyres and a smashed windscreen caused by the impact. He handed himself in to police eight hours later, said Miss Morrissey. The court heard Revell had passed his driving test six months previously and had a speeding conviction. When interviewed Revell claimed he was distracted when he received a text message but his phone records showed he had sent and received several messages in the lead-up to the crash. The text 'conversation' was with a girl he had met during his night out, the court heard. In sentencing him Judge Samuel Wiggs told Revell, 'It is difficult to think of a more dangerous enterprise when driving a car than to use a mobile phone, not only to receive but to send text messages. You will have the knowledge that you took the life of an honest, decent man and took him away from his friends and family - that is something you will not be able to escape.' Police now hope the tragic case will serve as a warning to others who continue to flout the law.
Peter Lyham
Peter died after becoming entangled in a line of lobster pots on his father's fishing boat and dragged overboard. The inquest was held at Western Dorset Coroner's Court Coroner’s Court on 8 April 2008 and returned a narrative verdict: that Peter was lost overboard from the Portland Isle vessel while lobster pot fishing after accidentally becoming entangled in the line on December 12, 2006 and died as a result of immersion in sea water. The coroner Michael Johnston advised jurors that because Peter's body was never found no-one could determine exactly what the cause of his death was. Peter's brother Robert told the inquest that he looked away for one moment as they worked together aboard the Portland Isle vessel but that when he looked back Peter was disappearing over the side. Paul Lynham said he and his boys had gone out early in the morning but decided to only set four lines of lobster pots because of bad weather. He was in the wheelhouse of the boat while Robert and Peter, who were wearing waterproofs but not lifejackets, were laying the last line of pots off the stern. The inquest was told how Peter's foot became entangled in the line and dragged him overboard, causing Robert to call to his dad. Mr Lynham said, 'I think he'd already gone down 30 or 40 metres before we got near him. With the weather conditions and generally with the water at the time it was obviously going to take him down.' The inquest heard Robert and Paul Lynham retracted the line immediately but recovered nothing more than one of Peter's Wellington boots. Mr Lynham also told the inquest that he knew of several cases in which life jackets had been a hindrance to fishermen who had gone overboard but that he now insisted on his employees wearing them. He added, 'I don't think it was going to save Peter's life but it probably would have got the body back to us.' Robert Lynham said he thought his brother must have become entangled after stepping over the lobster pot line while it was on the deck. Robert said, 'It was rough weather but not anything we hadn't worked in before.' Mr Johnston, reading a letter from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), said the branch recommended that all fishermen wear life jackets but understood that many do not. The letter also confirmed the branch felt there was no need to launch a full investigation into the case.
Carl Pearson
Carl died after falling through a roof light as he did casual work for Cladcoat. Carl suffered massive head injuries in the incident. He was taken to Poole Hospital's intensive treatment unit but failed to regain consciousness and was pronounced dead the following morning. The inquest was held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s Court sitting at Bournemouth town hall on 10 June 2008 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. Jeremy Walton, managing director of Cladcoat, told the inquest he realised now he should have taken responsibility but added, 'I was not a roofing expert. Carl said they would only be up there for a couple of hours.' Mr Walton admitted he had no health and safety training and that he relied on Mr Pearson to assess the risks of the job. The inquest jury was told Carl was an experienced roof worker who knew the risks involved with translucent roof lights. But he fell through as he worked with friend and colleague Guy Blake at a factory unit in Wharfdale Road, Bournemouth. Mr Blake told the inquest he and Carl were replacing the roof lights and that he had his back to him at the time of the incident. 'I heard a crack and when I turned round he had disappeared - he did not shout.' An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which has the power to bring criminal proceedings, was still ongoing, district coroner Sheriff Payne was told.
Graham Evans
Graham was cleaning out the yard at Hinton Park Estate, Hinton St George, in Somerset when he was crushed by one of his bulls. The inquest was held at Western Dorset Coroner's Court Coroner’s Court on 8 April 2008 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death', 'due to being crushed by a bull'. Farm worker Patrick Higgins became worried after seeing his boss leaning against a gate facing the bull about 6ft away on the opposite side. Mr Higgins, who had worked on the farm for 46 years, told the inquest, 'He was leaning forward a bit so I went round to see if there was a problem.' Mr Evans, a director at the farm, was a bit pale and had 'cow muck' on one side of his clothes. Mr Higgins added, 'I said to him 'are you all right?', he said, 'yes I will be all right once I get my breath back'. I went to the other side of him and saw he had a gash down the back of his head. 'I just said casually 'did the bull have you?' because I didn't know how he got to where he was. He just muttered "bloody bull", which could mean anything. 'He walked back to where his truck was parked to see his son-in-law. He wanted to drive and I said 'no' I would drive. His breathing was getting a bit more laboured.' Mr Evans collapsed and was airlifted to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester but died of massive injuries the next day. The inquest, sitting in Dorchester, heard he had fractured ribs, breast and backbones, and internal bleeding in his chest, lungs and abdominal cavity. He also had two five centimetre gashes on the back of his head and bruises on his thigh and knee. A post-mortem showed he died of multiple injuries due to blunt trauma consistent with being crushed against a hard surface by a bull. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Ann Linden said the one thousand acre estate, near Taunton, had many bulls over the years and Graham was used to handling them. She said the farm's safety policies were all in place and there were a 'handful' of accidents involving bulls every year. The bull was a Holstein Friesian dairy and had now been put down. The inquest heard dairy bulls were more unpredictable than beef bulls which are more placid. Coroner Michael Johnston said, 'When you are used to working with animals, when something goes wrong you are suddenly reminded how very powerful large animals are and it can take you by surprise. I presume this is what must have happened. It's incredibly sad after a lifetime working with animals.'
Martin Pejril
Martin's legs became trapped in the large production-line machine at Tangerine Confectionery, formally known as Parrs, on Alder Road, Poole. Production was immediately halted as paramedics dashed to the scene but Martin, a starch room operator of Czech nationality, was pronounced dead soon after. Martin was thought to have gone inside a sweet-making machine to fix a problem when it started up again and his leg became trapped. The incident occurred in the depositing machine, which transfers a liquid sweet mixture into moulds before it sets into gums and jellies. The
inquest will be held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s
Court.
Jamie Hutton
Jamie, a commando wirh 42 Royal Marines, died when a Land Rover overturned during a training exercise at Lulworth Firing Range. Another man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The incident, involving a vehicle carrying five people, was being investigated by the Army's Land Accident Investigation Team and the Royal Military Police. The
inquest will be held at Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner’s
Court.
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