Arcadia ordered to pay £650,000 reduced from £1.3m over safety breaches which led to boy's death

Topshop and its former owner Arcadia have been fined hundreds of thousands of pounds for health and safety breaches following the death of a Reading schoolboy who died at one of its stores.

The sentencing was held today with Arcadia fined £650,000 after the company was found guilty in March.

They would have been fined in excess of £1.3 million but because they are in liquidation and any fine would have an impact on what they can pay their creditors, the amount has been greatly reduced.

They were also ordered to pay £530,000 in costs.

Topshop would have been fined £650,000 but it was reduced to £350,000. The store has also ordered to pay £530,000 costs.

Stoneforce would have been fined £700,000 but this was reduced to a nominal sum of £1000, due to liquidation. The firm don't have to pay any costs.

Kaden Reddick, 10, died after a queue barrier at the former store in Reading's Oracle shopping centre fell on his head on February 13, 2017.

Following a two-month trial and four days of deliberations by the jury, Arcadia Group and Topshop/Topman were convicted of failing to discharge a health and safety duty.

Manufacturer Realm Projects was found not guilty of the same charge.

During the ten week trial at Reading Crown Court the court was shown CCTV footage of the moment the display queue barrier fell over.

Speaking outside court following the conviction in March, Kaden's mother Lisa Mallett said: "Kaden was killed in a place that should have been safe , in front of my mum, myself and my two and a half year old daughter.

"Witnessing Kaden smashed into the floor by the barrier and the aftermath is something I will see until my dying days.

"Kaden was such a lovely, loving cheeky boy, his life was only just beginning and he had so many things to look forward to.

"All of that was taken away from him, from his family and his friends... It is clear to us Kaden's death should have been prevented, as a family we should have just celebrated his 16th birthday on 8 March.

"A lot of witnesses in court have used the words "should have and expected to" and all we can say is I expected to and should have walked out of Topshop that day with Kaden walking next to me, instead Kaden was killed."

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