Former Balfour duo charged with involuntary manslaughter

Two former employees with Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction and services group, and staff from Network Rail, formerly Railtrack, have today (Wednesday) been charged with involuntary manslaughter in respect of the fatal Hatfield rail crash in October 2000.

The two men worked for Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure Services (BBRIS), previously Balfour Beatty Rail Maintenance, which has itself also been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Responding to the charges a Balfour Beatty statement said: "We see no justification for manslaughter charges to be brought against our maintenance business or its former employees. The charge of manslaughter against our maintenance business will be firmly defended as we see no plausible basis for it in law or on the evidence. The individuals charged will have the company's fullest support in their defence of the charges against them."

Four other former BBRIS employees and BBRIS itself are charged with regulatory breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act. 

The statement added: "The health and safety of the travelling public and of our employees continues to be Balfour Beatty's first priority.  Balfour Beatty people, fully supported by the company, are working diligently with the rest of the industry to deliver a safe rail network. 

"Balfour Beatty's safety performance compares favourably with industry norms and is on a long-term trend of improvement, which the Group is committed to maintain. We continue to offer our condolences to the bereaved families and those injured at Hatfield."

There is no comment as yet from Network Rail.

Four passengers were killed when the London to Leeds express train derailed on 17 October 2000, because of a broken rail.