CPS apologises to victim's family

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer issued an unreserved apology to the family of Mark Wright, who died in March 2005 at the Deeside Metal site near Chester after aerosols he had been ordered to crush exploded.

The CPS initially ruled that neither Deeside Metal, aerosol manufacturer Jeyes nor his boss Robert Roberts should face manslaughter charges.

Four years later, after a lengthy campaign by the Wright family, the CPS decided Mr Roberts should face manslaughter charges but a court ruled that the length of the delay meant any subsequent trial would be an "abuse of process."

Jeyes, Deeside Metals and Mr Roberts were convicted of breaching health and safety laws in December 2010.

Mr Wright's mother Dorothy Wright said the apology "brings to a close our battle for justice.

"I would hope that in future workplace killing will be considered as the serious crime that it truly is."

Ms Wright's constituency MP Katy Clark also welcomed the apology.

But she said it was "long overdue" and would have not have been made but for tireless campaigning by Ms Wright and Families Against Corporate Killing (Fack), the campaign group of which Ms Wright is a founder member.

She added: "It is clear there could have been a criminal prosecution for manslaughter.

"The failures in how Mark's case was handled meant that this did not happen.

"Now that these failures have been acknowledged it is essential that measures are put in place to stop them from ever reoccurring."

Fack spokeswoman Hilda Palmer said the acknowledgement of the "specific and atrocious failures" in the case was crucial but prosecutors needed to go further in ensuring the way all work-related deaths are handled is vastly improved.

"Dorothy and Douglas set up Families Against Corporate Killers with other families bereaved by grossly negligent employers who flout the law, and tirelessly campaign for justice, for appropriate penalties for taking a life that deter other employers from killing more workers, and for families to be treated with respect and given support," she said.

paddym@peoples-press.com