Bookmaker acquitted over Kiwi’s death from falling sign
The British bookmaker whose falling shop sign killed Kiwi lawyer Jacob Marx is cleared of wrongdoing.
Marx, 27, was hit by the 9m metal sign on Camden Rd, Camden Town, as he walked past a betting shop on January 28, 2013.
Camden Council had prosecuted the betting firm, William Hill, which was criticised for “deficiencies” over the installation and checks on the sign in 2015.
A trial started in September at Blackfriars Crown Court in London and it came to a head last week when the jury found William Hill not guilty of two charges.
Crown prosecutor James Ageros, QC, had argued an alleged lack of communication between William Hill and the contractors who completed a renovation of the store — and replaced the sign — in 2006, local newspaper and news site Camden New Journal previously reported.
William Hill defended its safety procedures and the contractor who fitted the sign told the jury that despite the prosecution’s concerns, he had indeed been able to safely attach the sign to the wooden fascia on which it stood.
CCTV footage showed the 200kg sign falling to the ground before it struck Marx and passers-by scrambling to give the New Zealander emergency first aid. Marx was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead after suffering a heart attack as a result of a fractured skull.
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We of course respect the jury’s verdict, but it was important that the facts of this tragic death were fully explored in court.
“The council remains committed to investigating and prosecuting matters such as these when it is in the public interest to do so and our sympathies remain with Jacob Marx’s family,” Camden New Journal reported.
Marx, who was born in Gisborne, had moved to London four months before his death. He lived with his partner, Natalie Chung.
Chung previously told the Herald her hope was that the trial brought to light the failings that took place so something of this nature would never happen again.
“It could have been anyone who was walking under that sign that day,” she said.
She described her partner as a smart, spirited and caring man who was someone “that you just wanted to be around”.
The two had been together for nine years and had planned to get married.