Farm tragedy was a ‘wholly avoidable risk’
AFARMER has been jailed after a young woman died when her hair was caught in a machine, a tragedy that could have been prevented if he had spent £75 on a safety device.
Neil Carpenter, 45, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after he oversaw “appalling” safety standards at Springfield Farm, which led to the death of Lauren Scott.
Lauren, 20, was killed when she became entangled in a “dangerous” 1940s 540rpm power take-off (PTO) shaft at the back of a tractor.
A plastic sleeve which should have covered the spinning PTO was dented and exposed the shaft – and would have cost only £75 to replace, the trial heard. The jury was told the milling machine it powered was also “antiquated and dangerous”.
Carpenter, of Dawlish, Devon, said he was working in the stables when Lauren activated the PTO and tractor without his permission. But when police examined Lauren’s phone they found crucial footage which showed Carpenter sat in the tractor probably operating the mill shortly before she died. The prosecution in his trial at Exeter Crown Court said it was proof Carpenter used the mill that day and was criminally responsible for her death.
He was found guilty of her manslaughter by gross negligence by the jury on Monday and returned to court yesterday for sentence.
Mr Justice James Dingemans said the PTO posed an “obvious risk of entrapment and death”. He said Carpenter had “panicked” and told the emergency services a false version of events which he was stuck with at trial. He said: “I’m sure Mr Carpenter couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge his role in what happened out of panic.”
He added: “He was happy to farm using old machinery and this created a wholly avoidable risk of death. But he didn’t process that risk. No sentence which I can pass will reflect the loss suffered and will continue to suffer by Lauren Scott’s family.”
Lauren, who lived in Kenton, Devon, died from multiple injuries on March 4, 2017. She was described as a bright, sensible young woman who loved animals. She worked at Pets Corner in Powderham Castle and for five years at Newton Abbot racecourse as a horse catcher.
The issue at the trial was whether Lauren had used the PTO with Carpenter’s knowledge.
When a health and safety officer visited Springfield Farm he found standards were “lamentable” and placed prohibition notices on 11 items of machinery.
Carpenter admitted two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 by failing to protect Lauren from risks. He told the trial: “I’ve made mistakes. I’m now fully aware of those mistakes. I’m truly sorry about those mistakes. Words fail me, they really do.”
Ben Compton QC, mitigating, said: “There are no victors in a case like this. He has been broken by this experience. He was in a dark place for a very long period of time.”
Lauren’s family said her death was the result of a “careless disregard for the simplest of safety measures”.
Speaking after the verdict Ben Scott, Lauren’s brother, said her death could have been prevented if Carpenter had spent £75 on a new plastic sleeve for the PTO shaft.
He added that the family had been deprived of a loving daughter and sister who should have led a “long and prosperous life”.