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Wales Online
30-04-2025
- Wales Online
Man died after falling through 'fragile' roof in 'wholly avoidable' tragedy
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A man died after falling through an Anglesey building's fragile roof in a "wholly avoidable" tragedy. Leslie Bennion, who was 61, died after falling through a roof at the former Welsh Country Foods site in Gaerwen in 2018. A court today heard that the company boss responsible for the work had shown 'remarkable' health and safety failings in the lead up to the tragedy. Dominic Lakeman-Pettit, 34, had chosen a 45ft cherry picker for Mr Bennion and another worker to use to replace panels on the roof and walls of the building and annex, rather than wait for a 60ft cherry picker which hadn't been available until later that week. But Mold Crown Court heard the 45ft cherry picker - or Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) - wasn't long enough. Mr Bennion and his colleague completed some work but when they reached one area Mr Bennion and his colleague climbed out of the "safe confines" of its basket onto the roof to finish the job. Mr Bennion fell 20ft to his death. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Both the company Camclad Contractors Ltd and director Lakeman-Pettit admitted breaching a health and safety regulation. Today the judge His Honour Timothy Petts said the tragedy had been "wholly avoidable". At a sentencing hearing today, he fined Camclad, of Wyboston in Bedfordshire, £225,000 and gave Lakeman-Pettit a four-month jail term suspended for 12 months. He must do 200 hours of unpaid work. The judge said the sentences are based on guidelines and do not reflect the value of Mr Bennion's life. Prosecutor Craig Morris said the fall happened at the former Welsh Country Foods plant site in Gaerwen on January 24, 2018. A risk assessment method statement (RAMS) which referred to nets under the roof was prepared but there was "never any intention to install nets", said Mr Morris. The RAMS was "little more than a meaningless piece of paper", said Mr Morris. The defendant found out that there was a 45ft "Genie" cherry picker and asked about a bigger one but it wasn't available until the Thursday of that week. So he took what the judge called the "fateful" decision to have the two men use the 45ft platform. Mr Bennion and a Mr Harris replaced broken panels at a loading bay and cooling system but when they reached a final structure their cherry picker was "15ft short", said Mr Morris. Both men stepped out of the basket to complete the job on the roof. But Mr Harris, who has a false leg, "did not feel able to give himself a secure position to fit the last panel" so the men swapped positions. In a statement Mr Harris said Mr Bennion thought he was standing on a steel joist. He moved and slipped, falling more than 20ft to the floor. Mr Morris said no-one in the company had used a tape measure, a handheld laser device or even drawings to measure the building's dimensions to help select a suitable cherry picker so fell "far below" industry standards in this case. Cameron Crowe KC, defending Camclad and Lakeman-Pettit, said the director "genuinely believed it would reach". He added that Lakeman-Pettit had joined his father's firm Camclad Building Services in 2006 and been "supervised and mentored" by self-employed Mr Bennion. Mr Crowe said Lakeman-Pettit, who was 24 at the time of the accident, mourns the loss of his mentor Mr Bennion. "His remorse is tangible and sincere accompanied by grief he is yet to properly deal with." The court heard the defendant was relying on the two men to ring him if they thought the range of the machine was insufficient but the judge called that approach "inadequate". It was "entirely foreseeable" that they would want to get on with the job rather than delay the work waiting for a larger platform. The company has a turnover of about £6.5 million and employs eleven people although it only employed five staff in 2018. There were glowing references for Lakeman-Pettit and Camclad from customers, including Cambridge Utd Football Club, praising its safety record and professionalism. Find crime figures for your area
North Wales Live
30-04-2025
- North Wales Live
Man died after falling through 'fragile' roof in 'wholly avoidable' tragedy
A man died after falling through an Anglesey building's fragile roof in a "wholly avoidable" tragedy. Leslie Bennion, who was 61, died after falling through a roof at the former Welsh Country Foods site in Gaerwen in 2018. A court today heard that the company boss responsible for the work had shown 'remarkable' health and safety failings in the lead up to the tragedy. Dominic Lakeman-Pettit, 34, had chosen a 45ft cherry picker for Mr Bennion and another worker to use to replace panels on the roof and walls of the building and annex, rather than wait for a 60ft cherry picker which hadn't been available until later that week. But Mold Crown Court heard the 45ft cherry picker - or Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) - wasn't long enough. Mr Bennion and his colleague completed some work but when they reached one area Mr Bennion and his colleague climbed out of the "safe confines" of its basket onto the roof to finish the job. Mr Bennion fell 20ft to his death. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Both the company Camclad Contractors Ltd and director Lakeman-Pettit admitted breaching a health and safety regulation. Today the judge His Honour Timothy Petts said the tragedy had been "wholly avoidable". At a sentencing hearing today, he fined Camclad, of Wyboston in Bedfordshire, £225,000 and gave Lakeman-Pettit a four-month jail term suspended for 12 months. He must do 200 hours of unpaid work. The judge said the sentences are based on guidelines and do not reflect the value of Mr Bennion's life. Prosecutor Craig Morris said the fall happened at the former Welsh Country Foods plant site in Gaerwen on January 24, 2018. A risk assessment method statement (RAMS) which referred to nets under the roof was prepared but there was "never any intention to install nets", said Mr Morris. The RAMS was "little more than a meaningless piece of paper", said Mr Morris. The defendant found out that there was a 45ft "Genie" cherry picker and asked about a bigger one but it wasn't available until the Thursday of that week. So he took what the judge called the "fateful" decision to have the two men use the 45ft platform. Mr Bennion and a Mr Harris replaced broken panels at a loading bay and cooling system but when they reached a final structure their cherry picker was "15ft short", said Mr Morris. Both men stepped out of the basket to complete the job on the roof. But Mr Harris, who has a false leg, "did not feel able to give himself a secure position to fit the last panel" so the men swapped positions. In a statement Mr Harris said Mr Bennion thought he was standing on a steel joist. He moved and slipped, falling more than 20ft to the floor. Mr Morris said no-one in the company had used a tape measure, a handheld laser device or even drawings to measure the building's dimensions to help select a suitable cherry picker so fell "far below" industry standards in this case. Cameron Crowe KC, defending Camclad and Lakeman-Pettit, said the director "genuinely believed it would reach". He added that Lakeman-Pettit had joined his father's firm Camclad Building Services in 2006 and been "supervised and mentored" by self-employed Mr Bennion. Mr Crowe said Lakeman-Pettit, who was 24 at the time of the accident, mourns the loss of his mentor Mr Bennion. "His remorse is tangible and sincere accompanied by grief he is yet to properly deal with." The court heard the defendant was relying on the two men to ring him if they thought the range of the machine was insufficient but the judge called that approach "inadequate". It was "entirely foreseeable" that they would want to get on with the job rather than delay the work waiting for a larger platform. The company has a turnover of about £6.5 million and employs eleven people although it only employed five staff in 2018. There were glowing references for Lakeman-Pettit and Camclad from customers, including Cambridge Utd Football Club, praising its safety record and professionalism.
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Amazing' bricklayer crushed to death by collapsing wall while working with his son
Paul Oakley, 64, was tragically crushed to death by a stone wall that he had been tasked with dismantling and rebuilding in Bristol last year while he was working alongside his son Sam A devastated widow says she will struggle for the rest of her life after her "amazing" bricklayer husband was crushed to death by a stone wall whilst working with his son. Paul Oakley, 64, was left fatally injured at the site in Bristol on September 4 last year. The dad, who was working alongside his son, Sam, had been tasked with dismantling and rebuilding a stone wall in Stoke Bishop. His heartbroken widow Betty Oakley, who was married to Paul for 16 years, has enlisted the help of lawyers Irwin Mitchell to seek answers. Betty said: "Paul was my soul mate and for him to ripped away from me in such a cruel way is something I'll struggle with for the rest of my life. "I'll never forget the feeling of shock and emptiness when I was told he had died. He'd gone off to work with Sam as normal, but he never returned. "Paul was the most amazing husband and dad, and I would give anything to have him back by my side. Some days I still wake up hoping that it's all been a horrible nightmare, but then the reality quickly dawns on me again. While I know nothing can change what's happened, I feel like I need answers for Paul. It's the least he and our family deserve.' Paul was working at a site in Bristol for a building firm. Ehlana Penwarden, the specialist workplace accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Paul's loved ones, said: "Understandably, coming to terms with losing Paul so suddenly and in such tragic circumstances continues to have a profound effect on his family. "The family have found the past seven months incredibly difficult. Paul's loved ones have a number of questions and concerns over what happened, which we're now investigating. While nothing will make up for their loss, we're determined to help them establish the answers they deserve to help honour Paul's memory." A separate Health and Safety investigation into the incident is underway. The tragedy comes after a "kind" lorry driver was crushed to death between two machines just minutes after he arrived at work for an early morning shift. Lee Swingewood, 50, was loading a JCB scissor lift onto his vehicle in August 2023 when he was crushed between the equipment and a Snorkel cherry picker. A three-day jury inquest into his death was held in January of this year - two-and-a-half years after the incident at Bella Access - a machinery hire warehouse in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. Lee, from Smallthorne, was pronounced dead at 5.54am by paramedics who arrived on scene on August 25, 2023. Detailing the circumstances behind his death, the coroner said: "Lee's job entailed loading his vehicle with MEWPs [Mobile Elevating Work Platform] and delivering them to Bella Access customers. "On August 25 2023, Lee arrived at Bella Access' yard at approximately 5am. He started to load the first MEWP onto the vehicle at around 5.10am. He loaded four MEWPs onto the vehicle without incident. "While loading the JCB scissor lift, Lee appeared to be guiding the equipment onto the vehicle bed while making use of the vehicle winch. CCTV footage shows the MEWP controller falling to the ground. "The MEWP continued to move forward, which may indicate that the winch was still in operation and pulled the MEWP towards the front of the vehicle. It crushed Lee between the JCB scissor lift and the Snorkel cherry picker.' A medical report by Dr Paul Simcock identified the cause of death as "multiple chest injuries".
