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Two jailed for Bath tipper truck deaths

30 Jan 17 Two men who failed to properly maintain a construction haulage lorry which killed four people, including a young girl, have been sent to jail.

Wreckage of the lorry being removed
Wreckage of the lorry being removed

Lorry firm owner Matthew Gordon, (aged 30) and mechanic Peter Wood (55) were convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a trial at Bristol Crown Court last year.

The court heard how the braking system on the 32-tonne tipper lorry, owned by Grittenham Haulage Ltd, failed as it was driven down Lansdown Lane in Bath on 9th February 2015. The heavily-laden lorry ran out of control, killing four-year-old Mitzi Steady, Robert Parker, 59, Philip Allen, 52, and Stephen Vaughan, 34. Two other people suffered serious injuries.

The 11-year-old truck had 441,000 miles on the clock and had not been maintained properly.

At Bristol Crown Court on Friday 27th January Matthew Gordon was sentenced to 7 years 6 months in prison and Wood to 5 years 3 months.

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Phillip Potter, (20), who had been driving the tipper lorry, was acquitted of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving and causing injury by careless driving at trial. He was just 18 at the time of the crash.

Senior crown prosecutor Alyson Harris said: “The gross negligence displayed by Matthew Gordon and Peter Wood cost four innocent lives, causing devastation to their families and distress to the wider community.

“As well as those who were killed and injured, this incident had a profound impact on the emergency service workers and passers-by who were at the scene, many of whom were left traumatised.

“Prosecutors and investigators worked together to build a compelling case which resulted in the convictions for Gordon and Wood and I hope these sentences bring some sense of justice to those who suffered as a result of this collision.”

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