Father of toddler struck by telehandler given 12-month prison sentence
5th March 2025
The father of a three-year-old boy who died after being struck by a telehandler on a Tottington farm has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Albie Speakman lost his life on 16th July 2022 after he was run over by a telehandler that was being driven by his father, Neil Speakman.
A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Greater Manchester Police found that Mr Speakman failed to ensure Albie was kept safe from work activities on his family’s farm in the Greater Manchester area.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the man had reversed the telehandler into his son in a yard outside a small garden area that lay in front of their farmhouse on Bentley Hall Road in Walshaw.
Jurors were told that the boy had been left by his father to play in the area.
Mr 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.
While giving evidence earlier in the trial, Mr Speakman said: “If I thought for a single second he wasn’t on that grass, I wouldn’t have moved that stupid thing.”
He also told the court he had “stopped instantly” after feeling “a bump”.
According to BBC News, the prosecution concluded the area Albie had been playing in was insecure, and that the telehandler had various defects.
Mr Speakman told prosecutor John Elvidge KC that it had been a “tragic accident” and he had “made a mistake”.
‘Easily avoided tragedy’
Mr Speakman pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 after being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
He was handed a 12-month prison sentence and ordered to pay £2,000 in court costs. The man must serve at least six months in prison.
HSE inspector Mike Lisle said that this tragedy “could easily have been avoided” if HSE guidance was followed.
He added: “Our guidance clearly states children should be kept away from farming activities and work traffic, remaining in a safe space, such as a securely fenced play area.
“Farms are workplaces, but often have a farm house within the grounds. This makes the provision of safe areas for children even more important.”
Risks not ‘properly considered’
The HSE and Greater Manchester Police investigation identified that Mr Speakman failed to ensure there was a safe segregated area for Albie to play in so that he was kept safe from farm workplace activity.
Instead, the boy was allowed to move around the farmyard while vehicles were being driven.
The investigation found Mr Speakman had borrowed the telehandler from a neighbour, and while he had previously used the vehicle, he was not appropriately trained and had not properly considered the risks involved with using it.
The telehandler was missing a wing mirror on the passenger’s side, while the wing mirror on the driver’s side was dirty – reducing Mr Speakman’s visibility as he operated the vehicle.
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