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Quarry firm in court on corportate manslaughter charge

Victor Nicholl
Victor Nicholl Victor Nicholl

REPRESENTATIVES of concrete and quarry company FP McCann appeared in court yesterday accused of corporate manslaughter.

The company, with its head office on the Drumard Road, Knockloughrim, is charged with causing the death of Victor Nicholl on March 13 2015.

It was reported at the time that Mr Nicholl, who was 62, had been driving a 60-tonne dumper truck shortly before the incident at the quarry, near Guladuff, in south Derry.

FP McCann, which manufactures, supplies and delivers concrete products, faces three further charges under health and safety legislation.

The case against the company had been scheduled for an arraignment at Antrim Crown Court yesterday but was adjourned following an application by defence QC Frank O'Donoghue.

He told Judge Desmond Marrinan that despite having read the prosecution evidence, "I have difficulty understanding what is being alleged against my client as to what the gross breach is."

The lawyer explained that when it comes to an offence of corporate manslaughter, there has to be a "gross breach of the organisation and management of the business going through to managerial chain," adding that "it's not obvious to me what is the emphasis of the prosecution case."

Asking for the case to be adjourned to June 22, Mr O'Donoghue said he would undertake to lodge a skeleton argument by June 20 with the Crown to lodge theirs a week before.