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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/22/two-men-guilty-of-manslaughter-over-bath-tipper-truck-crash
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| Two men guilty of manslaughter over Bath tipper truck crash | Two men guilty of manslaughter over Bath tipper truck crash |
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| A haulage boss and a mechanic have been convicted of manslaughter after a 32-tonne truck with faulty brakes killed four people, including a four-year-old girl. | A haulage boss and a mechanic have been convicted of manslaughter after a 32-tonne truck with faulty brakes killed four people, including a four-year-old girl. |
| Matthew Gordon, 30, and Peter Wood, 55, were each convicted of four counts of manslaughter following a trial at Bristol crown court. | Matthew Gordon, 30, and Peter Wood, 55, were each convicted of four counts of manslaughter following a trial at Bristol crown court. |
| Phillip Potter, 20, the driver of the truck which hit Mitzi Steady, four, Robert Parker, 59, Philip Allen, 52, and Stephen Vaughan, 34, was cleared of all the charges he faced. | Phillip Potter, 20, the driver of the truck which hit Mitzi Steady, four, Robert Parker, 59, Philip Allen, 52, and Stephen Vaughan, 34, was cleared of all the charges he faced. |
| The victims were struck by the heavily-loaded Scania truck carrying aggregate down Lansdown Lane in Upper Weston, Bath, on 9 February last year. | The victims were struck by the heavily-loaded Scania truck carrying aggregate down Lansdown Lane in Upper Weston, Bath, on 9 February last year. |
| Trial judge Mr Justice Langstaff remanded Gordon and Wood in custody and said he would pass sentence on 27 January. | Trial judge Mr Justice Langstaff remanded Gordon and Wood in custody and said he would pass sentence on 27 January. |
| Gordon, of Dauntsey, Wiltshire, and Wood, of Brinkworth, Wiltshire, showed no emotion as the jury forewoman returned the four verdicts. | |
| The jury cleared Potter, also of Dauntsey, of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving and causing serious injuries to Karla Brennan and Margaret Rogers by dangerous driving. | |
| During the trial, the court heard that Potter was following Gordon, the owner of Wiltshire-based Grittenham Haulage, down the steep lane when the brakes on his 11-year-old truck failed. | |
| He struck Mitzi and her grandmother Rogers as they crossed the road before hitting three parked cars and killing Vaughan, from Swansea, and Allen and Parker, from Cwmbran, who were all sitting in a Volvo. | |
| Witnesses saw smoke coming from Potter’s lorry and smelt the brakes burning as he drove down the hill. The ABS warning light – indicating problems with the braking system – was also on. | |
| Potter, who had only worked at the company a few days, told the court he would never had driven the lorry had he known the brakes were faulty. |