Straw urged to rethink corporate killing proposals
21 July 2000
Public Concern at Work (today, Thursday 21 Sept) gives warning that new proposals for corporate killing risk reducing public protection and tying up responsible business in lengthy and complex fraud-style cases.
The whistleblowing charity says that where someone is killed because a company has been reckless, the courts should still be able to impose a custodial sentence on culpable directors. Following the deaths of four schoolchildren in the Lyme Bay canoeing disaster, managing director Peter Kite was jailed for two years after the court heard that he had ignored a whistleblower’s ‘graphic warning’ about the risk to life. However the Home Office proposals doubt whether penalties in future should go beyond fines and disqualification. “We are asking Mr Straw to rethink this as laws which lose sight of the principles of accountability and deterrence risk doing more harm than good,” says Guy Dehn, director the charity.
Public Concern at Work also urges Mr Straw to introduce a defence to ensure that responsible businesses do not get caught up in lengthy, complex and costly investigations. The new offence - which could be triggered whenever a lorry is caught up in a motorway pile up - is broadly drawn and is designed to catch everyone with a management responsibility for safety. “The public don’t want scapegoats and they don’t want show trials. What’s needed is a law which can identify those at fault, punish those to blame and deter people from thinking life is cheap,” says Mr Dehn. The charity maintains that a clear and simple defence will help business focus on safety and prevent deaths occurring in the first place.
The calls were made today at a press conference held jointly with the Centre for Corporate Accountability on the Home Office proposals. Copies of the submissions to the Home Office are available on request.
Note to Editors
Public Concern at Work is an accountability watchdog and legal advice centre. It has led recent developments on responsible whistleblowing and promoted the Public Interest Disclosure Act. It receives no state aid.
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