Teenager death - boss denies manslaughter

A building boss has denied gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a 15-year-old boy when a wall he was told to demolish collapsed on him.

Colin Holtom, 63, of Latchingdon denied the charge at the start of a trial at the Old Bailey today.

Adam Gosling died last year on a north London building site when a wall he was told to demolish collapsed on top of him. He was unsupervised and had attempted the task because a specialist worker had not turned up for work.

He was working on the site earning £25 a day with his 18-year-old brother Dean when the pair were asked to demolish a brick wall.

Dean frantically lifted the bricks off with the help of firefighters called to the incident but Adam was pronounced dead at the scene.

Adam had ambitions of becoming a builder and planned to register at college for a bricklaying course as soon as he had finished his GCSEs.

The trial continues.