Concrete contractor to pay fine of £150,000 over 12 months for site accident in which one man was killed and another injured

PC Harrington has been fined £150,000 at the Old Bailey, following the death of a worker on the Wembley site in 2004.

The judge ruled this afternoon that that the concrete contractor should be given 12 months to pay the fine, after acknowledging the firm had been deeply hit by the economic downturn.

PC Harrington was also ordered to pay more than £25,000 in costs. The firm had requested a 15-month period in which to pay off its fine in monthly instalments of £10,000.

But Judge Zeidman extended the payment time from three months to 12, and said he had given a smaller fine in a bid to ensure it did not result in the company being forced into liquidation.

The fine followed the death of Patrick O'Sullivan from west London, who was killed in January 2004, when a 300kg platform fell more than 100m and landed on him and a colleague, who was left with a serious fracture to his leg.

Horsey Coroner's Court gave a verdict of accidental death in 2007.

Giles Meredith, HSE inspector, said: “There were many thousands of crane movements at Wembley. This incident demonstrates that when things do go wrong during lifting operations, the outcome is often very serious. Our thoughts remain with the family of Patrick O' Sullivan who live with the consequences of this tragic event.”

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