Health and Safety
Stephen is regularly instructed in large regulatory offending by both individuals and companies, notably defending multi-billion pound corporate clients in relation to health and safety, environmental and Trading Standards prosecutions ranging in seriousness from technical weights and measures offences to breaches of health and safety regulations resulting in death.
He is a Specialist Regulatory Advocate (List B), and experienced in inquests, through trial at the Crown Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.
Stephen is able to understand complex issues and communicate them in clear language to those he represents. He is widely recognised as having a level of skill and detail well beyond his year of call.
Stephen is recommended for his Crime work and as a Leading Junior in Fraud. He is experienced in paper heavy cases of complexity including sensitive issues of disclosure, legal professional privilege and public interest immunity often international in scope.
Stephen is a Category 4 Prosecutor and a member of the General Medical Council’s panel of prosecuting advocates.
Health & Safety Cases
HSE v Tarmac Trading Ltd (2017) – led by John Cooper QC in the trial of Tarmac following the death of a pedestrian, hit by a car as he walked through traffic management on a Tarmac site in Liverpool. The company achieved its objectives of demonstrating that the failures which it accepted occurred, did not lead to the pedestrian’s tragic death. When the Judge gave written findings that this was the position, guilty pleas were entered and a significantly higher fine was avoided.
HSE v Nicky Deany (2017) – Defence of minimum wage care-worker who was instructed to offer “one to one supervision” of a man with special needs on a day trip to a lake. Whilst walking the man around the lake, she used her mobile phone and allowed herself to become distracted. The man she was caring for was found several minutes later having drowned in the shallow edge of the lake. She was prosecuted for breach of her duties by the HSE
HSE v Bullet Scaffolding (2017) – Represented director and company prosecuted for failing to ensure the safety of employees and those not in their employment, in which a skylight and scaffolding were not safe, and led to the serious injury of an employee following a fall.
HSE v Ebac Ltd (2014) – Represented company following serious burns to employee.
HSE v Rolls Royce PLC (2013) – Represented Rolls Royce following its prosecution for exposing employees to unacceptable levels of vibration within their Precision Cast Facility.
HSE v Northern Gas Networks (2013) – Represented the company following a gas explosion and fire following street excavations while replacing gas lines.
UK Wood PLC (2013) – Represented the company following the death of an employee on site. The Company had failed to manage appropriately the movement of vehicles within its premises.
HSE v Joy Mining PLC (2012) – Led by Peter Gower QC in representing this company following the death of an employee of UK Coal who was crushed to death when a hydraulic support supplied by the company failed during mining operations.
