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Manslaughter verdict in kiln deaths 24 April 2002
The owner of an engineering company has been convicted of manslaughter after a father and son died when a brick kiln collapsed. Brian Dean had hired the men who died, Michael Redgate and his 18-year-old son Carl, to demolish the kiln in Stoke-on-Trent and replace it with a more modern structure. Dean was found guilty on Wednesday after a trial at Stafford Crown Court. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Contractor ‘Told Men To Cut Out Supports’ SENTINEL REPORTER
A contractor told the family of a father and son killed in a collapsed kiln he instructed the men to cut out vital steel supports, a court heard. Michael and Carl Redgate of Dartmouth Street, Burslem, died when a brick kiln fell in on them in Tunstall in July 2000. Jackie Redgate, Michael’s wife, and her father, George Fereday, told the jury Brian Dean came to see the family at home following the accident. Dean, of B Dean Demolition and Civil Engineers, who was hired by Daniel Platt Limited in Tunstall to demolish a brick kiln, denies the manslaughter of the two men. George Fereday, father-in-law of Michael Redgate, said Brian Dean came to bring the men’s wages. He said: “It was in my daughter’s back kitchen at about midday. He said he was sorry and he put the wage packets on the work surface. I asked him what the boys were doing and he said burning and cutting out. I asked him, ‘Did you tell Mick to get the stanchions out? ‘ and he said ‘Yes’ and hung his head.” Mr Fereday, a former builder, said from his knowledge of kilns that Michael Redgate, aged 46, had appeared to be demolishing the kiln in the correct manner from the explanation he had given him. Jackie Redgate confirmed her father had asked Dean about the steel supports. She said he drank his tea and left after giving the answer. Stafford Crown Court had been told by consulting engineer Richard Vann the kiln had collapsed after the majority of the steel supports had been removed. Mrs Redgate, who married Michael in 1981, told the court she had wanted to know about her husband and son’s last moments. She said: “I asked him if they were all right when he last saw them. He said they were having a laugh. I wanted to know what their last conversation was,” she said. The court heard the family was very close and had been devastated by the accident. Brian Dean had also been very upset, the court heard. Mrs Redgate confirmed her husband had a bad back from 1997 and had started work for Brian Dean in 1999. She confirmed to the court her son Carl, who had been working at Burger King, had wanted to work with his father and had joined him at the job at Daniel Platt. Brian Dean denies the manslaughter of his employees Michael and Carl Redgate. Dean, formerly of Basnet Wood, Endon, has pleaded not guilty to a further charge of failing to provide safety at work. The trial continues.
Labourers Removed Kiln Steel
Three more labourers were asked to help out at the site of a tunnel kiln the day before the structure collapsed killing a father and son, a court heard. Robert Brown, his brother Phillip and David Salisbury helped out on two Saturdays at Daniel Platt and Sons in Tunstall in July 2000. Michael Redgate, aged 46, and son Carl, aged 18, both from Dartmouth Street, Burslem, worked for two weeks preparing the kiln for demolition before the structure fell in on top of them. Brian Dean, of Endon-based B Dean Demolition and Civil Engineers, which employed the Redgates denies manslaughter of the men. Mr Dean had been hired by tile makers Daniel Platt to demolish the unused kiln. Phillip Brown, who worked as a labourer for Brian Dean, said he and Mr Salisbury had moved metal girders away from the kiln to be dumped. He said: “Some of them were at the front of the kiln and some were about halfway down.” Michael Redgate and his son were crushed to death by more than 56 tonnes of masonry on July 23 when it collapsed. Brian Dean, formerly of Basnet Wood, Endon, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of manslaughter and a further charge of failing to provide safety at work. The trial, at Stafford Crown Court, continues.
No Plans For Kiln Demolition Were Made, Court Told SENTINEL REPORTER
A company owner, accused of manslaughter after a father and son were killed when a kiln they were preparing for demolition collapsed, failed to produce a plan for the work, a court heard. Michael Redgate, aged 46, and his son Carl, aged 18, both from Dartmouth Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, had been employed by Brian Dean to work at Daniel Platt tile makers in Canal Lane, Tunstall. Dean, who runs Endon-based B Dean Demolition and Civil Engineers, denies causing the death of Mr Redgate and his son by criminal negligence. Daniel Platt, a floor and roofing tiles company, had hired Dean to demolish one of its brick kilns and replace it with a more modern structure. Prosecuting, Paul Mann QC, said Dean should have provided a work plan for the company. “He knew that prior to the commencement of the work he should have prepared a method statement which said how he was going to carry out this work, the risks involved and how he planned to minimise those risks,” he said. “Platt’s asked for a method statement but he did not provide it before work started.” He added: “The demolition was a dangerous job unless specific regulations were put in place.” The Redgates, who started at Platt’s on July 10 worked unsupervised for the first week because Dean had other work on, the court heard. “They had been removing the internal material framework which held the structure in place. It was this which caused the collapse,” Mr Mann said. After falling behind schedule Dean asked the Redgates to work through the weekend, the court heard. The jury heard more than 56 tonnes of masonry came down and crushed the men to death. Neither Michael Redgate or his son had any previous experience in demolition of kilns or preparing for demolition, the court was told. Brian Dean of Basnet Wood, Endon, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of manslaughter and a further charge of failing to provide safety at work. The trial has been adjourned until Thursday.
Human Chain Dug Out Kiln Victims
A team of firemen formed a human chain to dig a father and son out of a collapsed kiln, a court heard. Michael Redgate aged 46, and his son Carl, aged 18, both from Dartmouth Street, Burslem, had been buried under 2ft of rubble, a jury was told. Stephen Pope, former station officer at Stafford, said emergency services were called to Daniel Platt Ltd, Tunstall at 5.10pm on July 23,2000. He said they found around 30ft of one of the kilns had collapsed in. Firemen were instructed to start removing the brick, knowing two men were buried inside. Stafford Crown Court heard the bodies were recovered after about an hour. Michael Boulton, of the Health and Safety Executive, called to the scene more than an hour after the fire service arrived, said he found steel supports for the kiln by the dead men. Earlier Mark Scarlett, a bricklayer who carried out sub-contracting work for Endon-based B Dean Demolition and Civil Engineers, said Michael Redgate was a good worker, good at his job. Mr Redgate and his son, who had no experience in demolition of kilns or preparing for demolition, were crushed to death by more than 56 tonnes of masonry. Brian Dean, who was hired by Daniel Platts to demolish the unused kiln, denies the manslaughter of his employees Michael and Carl Redgate. Dean, formerly of Basnet Wood, Endon has pleaded not guilty to a further charge of failing to provide safety at work. The trial continues. |