Owner of East Yorkshire based haulage company found guilty after two men died in fatal collision on M62
The owner of a haulage company has been found guilty of two counts of manslaughter through gross negligence after a fatal accident on the M62 which claimed the lives of two men.
Michael Holgate, of Munstead Way, Brough, was also found guilty of two counts of causing death whilst uninsured. He had previously entered a guilty plea to one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
He was found guilty following a two week trial at Hull Crown Court and is due to be sentenced next week.
The court heard how 41-year-old Nigel Eley and 37-year-old John-Paul Cassidy, both from Manchester, were in a car hit by a 30-tonne articulated lorry carrying a large static caravan near Goole in April 2018.
The 22-year-old driver, Jack Beston, from Driffield, had lost control of the vehicle and it careered through the central reservation, crossing over onto the opposite carriageway and colliding with the black Lexus that the men were travelling in.
Mr Eley died at the scene and Mr Cassidy later died of his injuries in hospital.
Beston pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared at a previous hearing at Hull Crown Court in October last year. He is also due to be sentenced next week
Speaking after the sentencing of Holgate and Beston, Sergeant Rob Mazingham of Humberside Police Serious Collision Unit said thorough mechanical investigations were carried out on the LGV transporter and mechanical faults were found - including, and most seriously, the serious failure of the brakes.
It was heard in court that Michael Holgate had only recently served a three month ban from operating LGVs because of past breaches. He was allowed to resume under a licence which restricted the number of vehicles which he was allowed to operate.
He got around that restriction by registering a number of his vehicles against the licences of other operators, but the prosecution say he remained in control of the entire fleet and the poor maintenance and driving practices continued.
Sgt Mazingham said their investigation had revealed a 'shocking picture of a company culture with complete disregard of safety and maintenance.'
Whilst the vehicle involved was insured, the policy stated that all drivers must be over the age of 25 years, Beston in this case was not.
Speaking of her devastating loss Nigel Eley’s wife said, the 'despicable way' in which Michael Holgate ran his business had devastated her family.
The family of John-Paul Cassidy said: the past three years had been very difficult and their lives had changed for ever.