Construction director handed suspended sentence after death of apprentice, 18
Published on 07/11/2026 at 06:27 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A construction firm director has received a suspended prison sentence and his company has been fined £50,000 after an 18-year-old apprentice was killed at a renovation site in north Wales. The case serves as a stark warning to UK employers about the legal consequences of failing to supervise young workers and secure heavy materials.
Fatal storage failures and inadequate supervision
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the December 2023 death of Chloe Bidwell at a building site in Bangor, Gwynedd, uncovered multiple safety breaches. The apprentice joiner was working alone when approximately 28 unsecured boards fell on her. Investigators found that individual boards weighed up to 30kg each.
The HSE identified a lack of safe storage for materials and the absence of a formal lone working policy at the site. Supervision and training provided to the apprentice were also deemed inadequate. During court proceedings, the management of the renovation site was described as chaotic.
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Sentencing and financial penalties
David Horrocks, a director of Varcity Living Ltd, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. The court also ordered him to pay £7,886 in costs.
Varcity Living Ltd was fined £50,000 for its role in the safety failures, alongside an order to pay £10,080 in legal costs.
The case concludes a long-running investigation into the incident, which occurred in late December 2023. The findings underscore the critical responsibility of property companies to ensure the safety of junior staff and the proper securing of heavy building materials on active construction sites.
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