Watersports club & roadworks firm charged with corporate manslaughter

A Middlesex watersports club was charged with cor porate manslaughter over the death of an 11-year-old girl on a banana boat ride. Mari- Simon Cronje fell from the 20ft inflatable craft and was hit by the speedboat that was towing it, during a friend's birthday party at the Bedfont Lakes venue on 11 September 2010. She died of severe leg injuries.

At Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19th February, Prince’s Sporting Club Ltd was charged with corporate manslaughter and a breach of section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. One of its directors, Glen Walker, was charged with a breach of section 37 of the same Act. The next hearing will be at Southwark Crown Court on April 26.

The Crown Prosecution Service has also charged road-sweeping contractor Mobile Sweepers (Reading) Ltd with corporate manslaughter after a truck fell on an employee who was repairing it. The company's sole director Mervyn Owens also faces a charge of grossnegligence manslaughter, in relation to the death of employee Malcolm Hinton on 6 March 2012.

Mr Hinton died from crush injuries at Mobile Sweepers’ premises at Riddings Farm, near Basingstoke. After working on a repair underneath a road-sweeping truck, he had inadvertently removed a hydraulic hose, which caused the back of the truck to fall on him. The first hearing was due to take place at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on 21 March.