Glenn Parsons and Tom Gent secure acquittals in Death by Dangerous Driving case at Norwich Crown Court following a 2-week trial

It was the prosecution case that the defendants had been collecting litter from the side of the southbound carriageway of the A11 Attleborough, just outside Norwich, and that both defendants had parked their works vehicles in tandem, partially in lane 1 of a dual carriageway, thereby causing an obvious obstruction to other road users.  Thereafter, the driver of a Renault lorry had failed to notice the defendants’ vehicles and driven into the back of the rear van. The impact killed the passenger in the Renault lorry.

Tom Gent represents care homes at remotely attended inquests

Tom Gent has represented the interests of two care homes at two inquests (one held in Maidstone Coroner’s Court, the other in Ipswich). Each inquest was concluded within one day and neither involved a jury. Counsel and some witnesses attended remotely, with others attending the court room. Maidstone’s chosen platform was Skype for Business, whereas Ipswich used Microsoft Teams.

Sentences Passed for Serious Driving Offences

Tom Gent has defended two drivers who faced serious charges before Bradford Crown Court.
The first had entered a guilty plea to causing death by dangerous driving following a collision between his car and a pedestrian in Halifax in 2018. The evidence established that he had been travelling at a speed at least 50% over the limit and had driven through traffic signals that were displaying a red light. The case had been delayed by lockdown, but an in-person hearing took place this week, at which the Defendant was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 3 years and 4 months.

Strong PSQB presence at drowning inquest

Tom Gent, Kate Wilson, Giles Grant and Naomi McLoughlin all appeared to represent interested persons at a recent inquest into the death of a boatman who was working at the site of the Flood Alleviation Scheme on the River Aire in October 2017.

Tom Gent represents property developers in HSE prosecution

The Company had been charged with a breach of Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, in that it was alleged that it had failed to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase of a project that involved the conversion of a number of barns into dwellings.

Tom Gent defends Darlington Borough Council in Health & Safety Prosecution

On the 16th of January 2019 Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard how, in October 2017, a self-employed labourer was working for two self-employed bricklayers sub-contracted to Darlington Borough Council. The labourer was walking past the front of the building plot at Allington Way, Darlington, when a pack of roof trusses fell on him..