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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Didcot Power Station collapse: Manslaughter investigation | Didcot Power Station collapse: Manslaughter investigation |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Police investigating the deaths of four men killed when the disused Didcot Power Station collapsed are considering manslaughter charges. | Police investigating the deaths of four men killed when the disused Didcot Power Station collapsed are considering manslaughter charges. |
| The men died when the boiler house came down in February 2016. | The men died when the boiler house came down in February 2016. |
| A pre-inquest review hearing at Oxford Coroner's Court heard an update on Thames Valley Police's investigation. | A pre-inquest review hearing at Oxford Coroner's Court heard an update on Thames Valley Police's investigation. |
| The force said it was looking at charges of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, and serious health and safety breaches. | The force said it was looking at charges of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, and serious health and safety breaches. |
| But demolition firm Coleman & Company, which employed the four victims, claimed there were "no grounds" to associate it with a manslaughter investigation. | |
| Det Ch Insp Craig Kirby told coroner Darren Salter an evidence file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service on 29 December. | Det Ch Insp Craig Kirby told coroner Darren Salter an evidence file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service on 29 December. |
| He added: "A number of individuals and companies suspected of committing offences have been identified and interviewed under caution." | He added: "A number of individuals and companies suspected of committing offences have been identified and interviewed under caution." |
| He said so far officers had carried out 1,921 witness interviews and there was not yet an expected completion date for the investigation. | He said so far officers had carried out 1,921 witness interviews and there was not yet an expected completion date for the investigation. |
| James Howard, a director of Coleman & Company, said: "Our investigation team and legal advisors share a view that the disclosure provided by the police so far gives no grounds to suggest that we or any of our employees have acted in a way which would associate us with a manslaughter investigation." | |
| Mr Salter said the case had been "extraordinarily difficult" for the families of the dead workers. | Mr Salter said the case had been "extraordinarily difficult" for the families of the dead workers. |
| He added that whether a full "substantive" inquest takes place would depend on the outcome of the joint police and Health and Safety Executive investigation. | He added that whether a full "substantive" inquest takes place would depend on the outcome of the joint police and Health and Safety Executive investigation. |
| Workers Ken Cresswell, 57, John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, Michael Collings, 53, from Teesside, and Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, died in the collapse. | Workers Ken Cresswell, 57, John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, Michael Collings, 53, from Teesside, and Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, died in the collapse. |
| It took more than six months for their bodies to be recovered from the site. | It took more than six months for their bodies to be recovered from the site. |
| The coal-fired station was shut in March 2013 after 43 years of operations. The original plan was to have the site cleared by the end of 2017. | |