Lawyers find ‘gap’ in Corporate Manslaughter Act

25th, April 2008

Lawyers representing the family of a teenage employee who died at work say their case exposes a ‘serious gap’ in the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act.

Daniel Dennis was killed after falling through a skylight on the roof of a Matalan store in South Wales. His lawyers are calling for his employer Roy Clarke, the owner of North Eastern Roofing, to be given the maximum sentence available to the court.

Clarke admitted manslaughter earlier this month and sentencing takes place on 28 April.

The family’s lawyer says that Clarke could never have been prosecuted under the new Act, even had it been law when Daniel was killed, because he is a sole trader.

Mick Antoniw, the lawyer acting for the Dennis family, said:

“We call on the court to hand down the toughest sentence available, to demonstrate that judges are prepared to see justice is done where an employer is responsible for the death of a worker.

"We welcome the new corporate manslaughter law but will continue to campaign for specific legal duties to be imposed on directors of companies so that they can individually be held to account for the way in which they run their companies.”

Lawyers find ‘gap’ in Corporate Manslaughter Act

Lawyers representing the family of a teenage employee who died at work say their case exposes a ‘serious gap’ in the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act.

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