Katy has welcomed an apology given to Largs resident Dorothy Wright by Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer for the Crown Prosecution Service’s mishandling of her son Mark’s case. Mark Wright was killed in an accident at work in March 2005. The Crown Prosecution Service initially ruled that neither Mark’s employer Deeside Metal nor his boss Robert Roberts should face manslaughter charges despite Mark’s family highlighting that they had not followed proper procedures. Over four years later the Department for Public Prosecutions finally decided that Mr. Roberts should face manslaughter charges but a court ruled that the delay meant any subsequent trial would be an ‘abuse of process’. Jeyes, Deeside Metals and Robert Roberts were subsequently convicted of breaching Health and Safety Laws in December 2010 in relation to Mark’s death.

Following a long campaign Katy secured the meeting with the Director of Public Prosecutions. Dorothy Wright and Katy were invited to a meeting with the Director of Public Prosecutions where Ms. Wright received a formal apology for the way her son’s case was handled.

Speaking on the subject Katy said “I am glad that the Director for Public Prosecutions has finally apologised to the family of Mark Wright following the way in which his case was handled. This apology is long overdue and would have not have occurred had it not been for the tireless campaigning by Dorothy Wright and Families Against Corporate Killing over a number of years. It is the first time an apology of this type has been given in a death at work case. It highlights that cases of this nature are not given the attention and the priority they should by the authorities. It is important because we need to take prosecutions against unscrupulous employers where there has been clear negligence to do all we can to prevent avoidable deaths at work. ”

“Now that the failures in how Mark’s case was investigated have been acknowledged it is essential that measures are put in place to stop them from ever reoccurring. I hope that no family ever has to go through what Dorothy and the rest of Mark’s family have been through over the last six and half years. Dorothy’s son died In England but many of the issues are similar here.”

Dorothy Wright said “The unreserved apology now received from Keir Starmer for the CPS failures over 5 years, in admitting errors had been made in the handling of my son’s death at work, brings to a close our battle for justice. I would hope that in future workplace killing will be considered as the serious crime that it truly is.”