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Neil Speakman accidentally ran over his three-year-old son, Albie Speakman, with a defective telehandler at a farm in Bury, Greater Manchester.
The incident occurred on July 16, 2022. (Photo Credits: X)
A UK father has been found not guilty of manslaughter after accidentally running over his three-year-old son, Albie Speakman, with a defective telehandler in 2022. Following the verdict, 39-year-old Neil Speakman reportedly pumped his fist in relief, as per The Mirror.
The heartbreaking incident happened on July 16, 2022, at a farm in Bury, Greater Manchester. Albie, who lived with his mother, Leah Bridge, would visit his father on alternate weekends. Leah and Neil had separated shortly after Albie’s birth. On the morning of the tragedy, Leah dropped off her son as usual. Neil left Albie playing with the family’s dogs in the yard before getting into a Kramer telehandler. Unaware of his son’s presence, he accidentally struck him while reversing the vehicle.
Realising what had happened, Neil ran inside the house and called for help. He rushed Albie towards the hospital and even flagged down a passing ambulance. Despite the paramedics’ efforts, the child could not be saved. Albie was pronounced dead that afternoon at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. A post-mortem confirmed he had suffered multiple crush injuries to his head, body and legs.
Prosecutors argued Albie’s death resulted from Neil’s negligence, which posed a “serious and obvious risk of death.” During the trial, they revealed Neil had no formal training to operate the telehandler. Additionally, the vehicle had several defects, including a missing wing mirror. A report by health and safety officials concluded that it was “foreseeable that persons in the vicinity of the vehicle could be injured or killed.”
Despite these findings, the court ultimately ruled in Neil’s favour, acquitting him of manslaughter.
“The operator would have had a restricted view of a person in certain positions near to the rear of the vehicle, more so a person of less than average height,” the report added.
During police questioning, Neil defended himself and claimed that Albie was well aware of the dangers on a farm.
“He knew not to go near anything. He knew he wasn’t f****** stupid… it’s a farm, isn’t it? It’s not a f****** playground and Albie knew it wasn’t, he knew his boundaries. He knew where he could go and where he couldn’t go,” Neil said.
When asked how Albie understood the risks, he replied, “Because you told him. You know he wasn’t a r****d.”
In court, Neil broke down while recalling the moment of the accident. He said, “I shouldn’t have to do this, it’s f*****g not fair. I shouldn’t have left him in the garden, we all know that. I have not met the standard of care. Is it truly exceptionally bad, neglectful behaviour? No. I messed up, I made a mistake.”
He insisted he had always been cautious while driving the telehandler and checked for blind spots but did not see his son before reversing.
“I am always careful in what I do. He was my little boy.” He described feeling an instant bump and stopping immediately. “I looked right and saw his legs and jumped off.”
“It was a tragic accident. I made a mistake,” Neil said during cross-examination.
The trial also revealed a prior warning from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2020. Neil had been cautioned after a video surfaced showing his partner inside a lifting bucket attached to a farm vehicle he was operating. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had sent a letter warning of the potential dangers though Speakman claimed he never received it.
Neil will be sentenced for the safety violation at a later date. A pre-sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 28.
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