05.07.2008

Bus directors jailed

Two directors of the bus companies that were involved in the 2006 accident in Manchester where a bus hit a boom lift throwing the operator to the ground, have been jailed.

The accident killed operator Martin Pilling, 28, and sparked of the Clunk Click campaign to encourage the wearing of harnesses and short lanyards o booms. Pilling had not been wearing his at the time.
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(L-R) David Ellis and Vincenzo Casale

Vincenzo Casale, 44, and David Ellis, 37, both admitted at Manchester Crown Court to conspiring to defraud by attempting to rewrite time sheets and were jailed for 15 year. Casale was also banned form being a director of 10 years while Ellis was banned for five years.

Ernesto Casale, 45, was also charged with conspiring to create false documents had his charge put on file.

Following the fatal crash in November 2006, police arrested the driver of the bus, 47-year-old Krzysztof Ociepa, he was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but the case was dismissed by a judge.
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The death - now subject to an ongoing inquest - resulted in an investigation by the traffic watchdog which led to GM Buses and UK North being ordered to take their entire fleet off the road over safety fears.

During the course of the investigation, officers discovered the driver had been working for 19 days without a rest when the collision occurred.

Under UK driving regulations, drivers must take a minimum of 24 hours rest in any two-week period
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The inquiry also revealed that 27 of the 130 drivers employed by the firm had been in breach of their fortnightly rest. The worst case saw a driver working a total of 31 days without a rest.