Bury dad who reversed into son, 3, at farm cleared of manslaughter

The court heard that Speakman had reversed the telehandler into Albie in a yard outside a small garden area which lay in front of their farmhouse on Bentley Hall Road in Walshaw.

The boy had been left by his father to play in the area, jurors were told.

Speakman said that while the telehandler had been missing a wing mirror, he would “check profusely” for blind spots.

He said he did not see his son.

Recounting the collision, he told the court he had “stopped instantly” after feeling a bump.

“If I thought Albie was even an inch into that yard I would never have moved that vehicle,” he told the court.

The prosecution said the area Albie had been playing in was insecure, and that the telehandler had various defects.

During cross-examination, Speakman told prosecutor John Elvidge KC that it had been a “tragic accident” and he had “made a mistake”.

Speakman admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, in that he failed to ensure, so far as reasonably practical, the health and safety of his son.