No criminal action over deadly Legionnaires outbreak
None of the firms linked to a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Edinburgh are to face legal action, it has emerged.
The Capital’s outbreak of 2012 saw the deadly disease claim four lives, including labourer Bert Air, and left 92 people seriously ill – with many still suffering the effects.
The source of the outbreak has never been conclusively proved and remains a mystery despite a seven-year probe.
Mr Air’s partner of 12 years, Catherine Mcdonald, has now been notified that proceedings against two firms which had been scheduled to start this month have been dropped by the Crown.
The Crown Office said the decision had been taken after a review of the available evidence.
A furious Ms Mcdonald, 61, said: “People keep saying it’s about the money – it’s not the money. I want an apology.
“I want somebody to put their hand up and say ‘sorry, it was us, we apologise for what’s happened.”
“To my knowledge, there’s a young lad out there in his 30s who’s still suffering from the actual after effects of legionnaires.
“Give the money to him, he needs it, not us. I’ve lost my partner, I can’t bring him back but he does, he needs a life.”
Mr Air, 56, came home ill from a building site in Gorgie with a suspected chest infection but was rushed to hospital by his frantic partner as fear gripped the city over the outbreak.
Just 12 hours later, he died surrounded by his family after suffering a massive heart attack as his body tried to battle the disease.
“I think if things had been reversed and it’d be me he’d still be fighting and wanting answers,” said Ms Mcdonald, who still keeps his ashes on the mantelpiece at home.
“I don’t want this brushed under the carpet. Is there a big secret somewhere they don’t want us to know?
“I can’t be the only one. “The other people affected and other people who died, don’t tell me they don’t want answers because I don’t believe it.
“Those who are still alive who had it will be affected by it all their lives because it attacks their lungs.”
Mr Air’s surviving two sisters and brother also want answers, while his mum Hannah never recovered from the loss of her “blue-eyed boy”, dying six months after him.
“Hopefully it’ll never ever happen again but who’s to say it won’t?” asked Ms Mcdonald. “I actually wanted to stand up in the middle of court and say look I’m the one who’s been affected talk to me. Let me tell you how I feel.
“His brother phoned me last night absolutely fuming. It’s making matters worse as he’s actually got cancer.”
Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially deadly lung infection caused by the Legionella bacteria. It spreads through the breathing in of droplets of contaminated water, and is not contagious. The other victims of the outbreak to lose their lives were John Lonnie, Sean Ferguson and Sylvia Riddell – all with links to Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton
The Crown confirmed that proceedings have now been dropped against Ashland Industries UK Limited and
Macfarlan Smith Limited. Proceedings against three other firms, North British Distillery Company Limited, Pera Services Limited and Chemtech Consultancy Limited, ended last year when not guilty pleas were accepted.
A Crown Office spokesman: “It is the duty of the Crown to keep cases under review and after full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence,crowncounseldecided that there should be no further proceedings.”