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Director found guilty of manslaughter facing prison sentence

Colin Cooper, aged 48, and owner of IC Roofing Ltd has been found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence. Following a two week trial the jury today delivered a guilty verdict at Hove Crown Court.

Darren Hoofe, aged 20, fell through a skylight onto the factory floor whilst carrying out roofing repairs. He was not wearing a safety harness and had not received full safety training. He died in hospital the following day from his injuries.

Judge Anthony Scott-Gall commented on the jury verdict saying it was based upon ”the clearest of evidence”. Colin Cooper is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday 27th January 2009. He was released on bail, but warned by the judge that he should “expect a custodial sentence” 

Amanda Huff, HSE inspector, said: “The tragedy of Darren Hoofe’s death is that it could so easily have been avoided. Colin Cooper showed reckless disregard for the safety of his employees even though the risks and necessary precautions were well known to him” 

Detective Inspector Colin Dowle, from Sussex Police, said: “This is a particularly tragic event which was entirely preventable. Colin Cooper ignored the obvious risks in favour of economic gain, sadly at the cost of Darren’s life. This was compounded by the fact that Mr Cooper had received previous warnings in relation to his working practices from HSE inspectors. The HSE and Sussex Police have worked closely together to bring this matter to trial.”

This article was posted on 22nd January 2009 in ALL LATEST NEWS, CDM 2007 DIRECTORS, FRAGILE MATERIALS, MANSLAUGHTER, PROSECUTIONS, manslaughter.
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