| Date: | 19 Nov 2007 |
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| Text | Parents whose children have died at work in three separate incidents are speaking out today (19 November 2007) against the criminal justice system that has failed to bring the companies and those that run them to account following the death. Speaking at the Centre for Corporate Accountability conference on Corporate Manslaughter the three families tell how they were let down by state bodies entrusted to investigate and prosecute for the offence of manslaughter. The families will tell the conference whose sponsors include Rowley Ashworth Solicitors: “We are speaking out, to help other bereaved families and motivate people into demanding the required changes from government and better treatment of the bereaved by the justice system” The three speakers are: • Dorothy Wright whose 37 year old son Mark was burnt to death in April 2005 when his employer told him to crush aerosols, that unknown to him were filled with butane. The Crown Prosecution Service have refused to prosecute • Linda Whelan whose 23 year old son Craig burnt to death in 2002 when dismantling an industrial chimney. In her case the Crown Prosecution initially prosecuted three managers for manslaughter, but then dropped the case. • Mick Murphy whose 18 year old son Lewis was burnt to death when flammable gasses ignited in a garage in 2004. The manslaughter conviction against the garage manager was overturned on appeal. Keith Taylor of Rowley Ashworth Solicitors, chair of the opening session of the conference said: “The CCA’s Corporate Manslaughter conference gives much needed publicity to highlight the struggle of families to gain justice after losing their children in workplace accidents.” Lord McKenzie, the Health and Safety Minister, will explain why the government will not change that law to impose safety duties on directors. Whilst Detective Chief Superintendant, Mark Smith, head of the Criminal Investigation Department within British Transport Police, and Richard Lissack QC will also speak about the new law of Corporate Manslaughter, along with Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC. The Centre for Corporate Accountability is a human rights charity advising those bereaved from work-related deaths, and working on issues of safety, law enforcement and corporate accountability. Press Enquiries Centre for Corporate Accountability 0207 490 4494 Stephanie Lennon Rowley Ashworth Solicitors 0121 212 6812 |
