Bug death accused breached safety
April 21, 2005
An architect has been found guilty of breaching health and safety laws after an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in which seven people died.
Gillian Beckingham, 46, was found guilty of an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act over the outbreak in Barrow, Cumbria, in 2002.
But on Thursday the jury at Preston Crown Court failed to reach a verdict on seven counts of manslaughter.
They were sent home and will continue their deliberations on Friday.
Mr Justice Poole said he will accept a majority verdict on the manslaughter charges.
Six women and one man died and a further 172 people contracted the disease, which spread from the air-conditioning unit at the Forum 28 art centre in Barrow.
Beckingham, a married mother from Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, denies the unlawful killing of Richard Macauley, 88, Wendy Milburn, 56, Georgina Somerville, 54, Harriet Low, 74, Elizabeth Dixon, 80, June Miles, 56 and Christine Merewood, 55, all from Barrow.
Barrow Borough Council, which owns Forum 28 and employs Beckingham as its head of Design Services, was cleared of corporate manslaughter midway through the two-month trial.
But it pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
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