‘They knew they were in the wrong all the time’

Carolyn Hoare has had to wait 10 years to finally get justice for her son Matthew.

It was small consolation when she saw Watling Tyres fined £1 million last week for the health and safety failings which led to the 21-year-old’s tragic death.

But Carolyn insists it is not the end of the road for the family, who now plan to sue the company for compensation.

Fitter Matthew died in January 2006, when a giant industrial tyre he was repairing exploded in his face.

A health and safety investigation subsequently revealed the inexperienced employee had been sent by the Canterbury depot untrained for the job and with faulty equipment.

But the delays, including the inquest hearing and the Health and Safety Executive inquiry, have taken their toll on the family, including Matthew’s brother and sister, Daniel and Jenna.

It has caused enormous stress and ill health for Carolyn, who is a selfemployed foster carer and had to carry on working throughout it all.

Speaking from her home in Shalmsford Street, Chartham, this week, she said: “The last 10 years have been hell for us and yet as soon as Watling Tyres is finally dragged into court, the company admits its guilt.

“Losing Matthew was bad enough, but we should never have been put through the pain we have when they knew they were in the wrong all the time.”

An inquest into Matthew’s death in 2013 ruled it accidental, despite the

‘As soon as Watling Tyres is finally dragged into court, the company admits its guilt’

hearing being told of his lack of training and the faulty equipment he was supplied with.

Carolyn, 55, said: “I’m sure if the inquest jury had the information which came out in the crown court and which Watling Tyres admitted, they would have returned a verdict of corporate manslaughter, not accidental death.”

Carolyn says some people she has spoken to assume the £1 million fine will be given to the family.

“I’m afraid that’s going straight into the government coffers – we don’t get a penny of it,” she said.

“But it’s not about the money, because that won’t bring Matthew back and we will miss him every day.

“I am just so grateful I had my partner Graham at my side, who has been so strong for us throughout it all.

“But by their failings, Watling Tyres has ruined our lives. They will never be the same.

The company should compensate us for what they have put us through and I am seeking legal advice and hoping to find a solicitor to take on the case.”

Picture: Gerry Warren Carolyn Hoare says her family should never have been put through the pain and suffering they have had to endure