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Six face rail manslaughter charges
LONDON, England -- Three senior managers from the company that runs Britain's rail network and two from a key maintenance firm have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the fatal 2000 train crash at Hatfield, near London. Network Rail -- successor to Railtrack, which maintained the rail infrastructure in 2000 -- and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services also have been charged with gross negligence, manslaughter and failing to comply with Britain's Health and Safety at Work Act, police said. Six other people, including former Railtrack boss Gerald Corbett, have been charged with failing to protect the safety of rail users. Four people died in the October 17, 2000, crash when a Great North Eastern Railway express derailed half a mile south of Hatfield station in Hertfordshire, 30 km (18 miles) north of London. Five people were charged Wednesday with four offences of manslaughter and one health and safety offense. They were named -- with their titles at the time of the crash -- as Charles Pollard, director of the London North East Zone of Railtrack; Alistair Cook, infrastructure contracts manager of the London North East Zone of Railtrack; Sean Fugill, area asset manager of the London North East Zone (South) of Railtrack; Anthony Walker, regional director until August 11, 2000, of Balfour Beatty; and Nicholas Jeffries, civil engineer for Balfour Beatty.
A sixth person facing manslaughter charges has not yet been named. Those ordered to answer a charge of failing to protect the safety of rail users, in addition to Corbett, are: Christopher Leah, director of safety and operations of Railtrack; Stephen Huxley, managing director until August 31, 2000, of Balfour Beatty; Kenneth Hedley, a track engineer for Balfour Beatty; Vernon Bullen, King's Cross area maintenance engineer for Balfour Beatty; and Keith Hughes, an acting track engineer for Balfour Beatty. All have been bailed to appear in Central Hertfordshire Magistrates Court on July 14. Balfour Beatty criticized the decision to press charges and defended its safety record. In a statement, the company said: "We see no justification for manslaughter charges to be brought against our maintenance business or its former employees." Balfour Beatty shares fell more than 4 percent -- off 9 pence to 186 pence -- following the charges. The biggest rail union, the RMT, welcomed the decision to prosecute. General Secretary Bob Crow added: "We have long campaigned for bosses to be held accountable if their negligence causes death or injury." The Hatfield crash led to a miserable winter for commuters as thousands of miles of track in Britain were immediately shut down for long-overdue safety checks and repairs. The Hatfield victims were Steve Arthur, 46, from Pease Pottage, southern England; Peter Monkhouse, 50, of Leeds, northern England; Leslie Gray, 43, of Nottinghamshire, in the English Midlands; and Robert James Alcorn, 37, of Auckland, New Zealand.
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