A van driver has been jailed for four years after failing to secure a scaffolding board which struck the windscreen of a car and left an 11-year-old boy dead.
Russell Le Beau, 34, from Eastbourne, was driving his vehicle on Top Road in Hooe, East Sussex, when a collision took place at around 3pm on 15 December 2022.
He had not secured scaffolding boards on the van properly, causing one of them to become suspended in mid-air at an angle across the carriageway in the opposite direction.
Scaffolding boards are used to provide a platform for construction workers.
The protruding board would have been visible in Le Beau’s wing mirror as he was driving, Lewes Crown Court heard.
Lee Dennis was driving his car in the opposite direction with his 11-year-old son Harry in the passenger seat and his 13-year-old daughter in the back.
Mr Dennis had no time to react to prevent the scaffolding board from striking the window of his car and leaving Harry with serious injuries.
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The boy had to be flown to Kings College Hospital in London where he died from his injuries days later.
Le Beau was arrested and later charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
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What were the HSE findings?
Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the wooden boards were only clamped down by a metal pole at one end, at the very rear of the van, with no ratchet straps, net or tarpaulin securing them.
They also found there was no straps, net or tarpaulin bag being carried anywhere in the vehicle.
This meant there was nothing to prevent one of the scaffolding boards from swinging out across the carriageway.
Image: Harry Dennis was killed in the collision
The HSE report concluded that load security on the vehicle was “grossly inadequate” and Le Beau had not followed the safe loading of scaffolding guidance.
Le Beau pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving before he was sentenced to four years in prison and was disqualified from driving for seven years.
Tribute from boy’s mother
Harry’s mother Maria Dennis said after the case: “Harry was our beautiful son with the biggest of smiles and the biggest of hearts.
“His kind, caring and fun nature made such an impact on so many. He would take others under his wing, helping his friends to grow in confidence and to believe in themselves.
“If Harry could make someone laugh it would make his day. His giggle was infectious and we share memories of his antics daily. His smile lives on in us – his family, and his friends.”
Image: Lee Dennis’s car after it was struck by the scaffolding board
The Dennis family said Harry was a “true sportsman”, playing football for Hastings Athletic Football Club, and said he always gave 100% in everything he tried, adding “his ambition to win was second to none, but equally he was always humble in defeat”.
Delivering the sentence, Judge Christine Laing KC told Le Beau: “You were driving whilst that vehicle was dangerous.
“I have no doubt that you were prepared to take a risk whatever the rush was that day.
“But you set off with catastrophic consequences. You were at the wheel and bear the responsibility for not checking.
“I accept that you didn’t intend to cause harm, but you took a most gross risk by driving with an insecure load.”
The 19-year-old woman who died after she was attacked by a dog at a flat in Bristol on Wednesday has been named as Morgan Dorsett from Shropshire.
Two people – a man and a woman both aged in their 20s – have been arrested over the attack and have been released on conditional bail.
Initial reports suggested the dog may be an XL bully, but confirming the breed will form part of the police assessment process, according to Avon and Somerset Police.
It was sedated and seized by officers.
Image: An XL bully. File pic: PA
Ms Dorsett’s family thanked the public for their support and those who have left flowers near the scene.
Officers were called to an incident in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol at 7.19pm on Wednesday.
Paramedics and police officers attended but Ms Dorsett died at the scene.
Image: Ms Dorsett. Pic: Avon and Somerset Police
On Thursday, Inspector Terry Murphy said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the family of the young woman who’s tragically died as a result of yesterday evening’s incident. They have been updated and will be supported by a family liaison officer.
“I’d also like to thank the officers and paramedics who attended yesterday evening and tried to save her life. Support is in place for them.
“A full investigation is now well under way to establish the full circumstances of the events that led to her death.”
Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson has been cleared of coercive control and assault allegations relating to his wife.
The 46-year-old was accused of being violent towards Rebecca Hanson over an eight-year period.
The charges were brought after he was arrested in June 2023.
The TV auctioneer, from Mackworth, Derby, denied controlling or coercive behaviour spanning from 2015 to 2023, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and assault by beating. The two assault charges related to incidents in 2015 and 2023.
During the trial, Hanson claimed his wife had controlled him. He told the court he was “almost a slave” to her, saying she left him “a beaten and broken man” by controlling him and making him subservient towards her.
She had claimed her husband was violent towards her and put her in a headlock in 2012, while she pregnant with a baby she later lost.
Mrs Hanson also alleged her husband repeatedly “grabbed” her, scratched her as she tried to snatch a mobile phone and pushed her twice during a row.
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Image: Hanson outside the court with his parents today. Pic: PA
The auctioneer told the court his wife was allowed “to do what she wanted” but had experienced “moments and episodes” including one which saw her claim his legs being crossed amounted to abuse.
Jurors deliberated for around four and a half hours before delivering not guilty verdicts on all charges.
As the verdicts were returned, Hanson smiled at his parents, who were sat in the front row of the public gallery at Derby Crown Court, and gave them a thumbs-up.
After thanking the jurors for their care in considering the case, Judge Martin Hurst told Hanson: “You have been found not guilty. That is the end of the case. You will hear no more about it and you are free to go.”
The TV star’s parents wept and hugged their son after he was discharged from the dock.
Hanson ‘relieved this is all over’
Image: Hanson speaks to media after the verdict. Pic: PA
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Hanson said: “I’m delighted that after a year and a half the truth has finally come out.
“I can finally live my life again. I feel this burden has finally been lifted.”
“It has been a tormentuous time and all I want now is to readjust to what has been such an ordeal,” he continued. “I am so relieved that this is all over.”
As well as regularly featuring on Bargain Hunt, Hanson has appeared on Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip.
A self-described “monster” who beat a top chef to death near Notting Hill Carnival has been jailed for life.
Omar Wilson repeatedly punched and kicked Mussie Imnetu during an altercation outside a restaurant in Queensway, west London,on 26 August last year.
Wilson, 31, then left the scene to go clubbing.
Mr Imnetu, 41, who worked under star chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, died in hospital four days later, without regaining consciousness.
Image: Mussie Imnetu. Pic: Metropolitan Police
Sentencing Wilson to a minimum 18 years, Judge Philip Katz said Mr Imnetu’s “brutal” killing was “abhorrent”.
“Mussie and those who loved him are the victims in this case and the impact on them of his murder has been severe,” he said.
“Mussie was defenceless on the ground when you punched and kicked him to death.”
He continued: “You could not control your temper. Only a few seconds after punches were aimed by both of you you tripped Mussie and he fell to the ground and you could have walked away.
“As he knelt you rained further punches down on his head. You could have walked away.
“However, you stood up, raised your leg and kicked him hard to the head. Kicking someone to the head when they are defenceless on the ground is abhorrent.”
Image: CCTV footage of Omar Wilson at a security point after the assault. Pic: Metropolitan Police
Mr Imnetu’s wife, Linda, described her husband as “respected, admired and loved” in a pre-recorded victim impact statement played in court.
“Mussie didn’t just leave behind a legacy for his family, he left an indelible mark on his workplace and community,” she said.
“Nothing can undo what has been taken from us. I ask the court to remember the man Mussie was: his character, his integrity and the life he built; not just the circumstances of his passing.”
An audio recording of Mr Imnetu’s six-year-old son wishing his “daddy” goodbye was also played in court, which the judge called “heart-rending”.
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CCTV footage was played in court during the trial showing Wilson approaching Mr Imnetu and headbutting him.
Around a minute later, Wilson punched Mr Imnetu five times in the head, continued to repeatedly punch him while he was on his hands and knees, and then kicked him in the head.
Wilson of Napier Road, east London, told the Old Bailey he was acting in self defence, telling jurors: “I just regret that somebody’s life was taken while I was trying to defend mine.”
He claimed Mr Imnetu had a broken bottle – something Judge Katz described as “a deliberate lie”.
The court heard after the attack that Wilson had told an associate he “crossed the line”.
In a message, he said: “There’s a monster in me, man, and it’s just like sometimes it comes out.
“And I think I’ve messed up now, I’ve messed up, everything’s finished.”