Builders on trial after lawyer Amanda Telfer was crushed to death by window frames

Builders at a West End gallery made “no efforts” to secure three heavy window frames which fell and killed a lawyer on her way to work, the Old Bailey heard today.

Amanda Telfer, 43, died when the frames, weighing around 665kgs, fell on top of her outside 5 Hanover Square on August 30 2012 during renovation of a ground floor and basement gallery.

The frames had been delivered the previous day but left unsecured overnight, the court heard, and toppled over as Ms Telfer passed on her way to the officers of at Keystone Law, in Davies Street, near Oxford Street.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC said those in charge of the construction site did not take reasonable steps to make the area safe for pedestrians passing by.

"Amanda Telfer was walking along a public pavement past a construction site situated at 5 Hanover Square, in the West End of London, when three large, unglazed window frames, together weighing some 655kgs, fell on to her and killed her”, he said.

"The window frames, once unloaded, were simply left on the public pavement at Hanover Street overnight, leaning against the building.

“No efforts had been made to secure them to prevent them from falling, nor had any barrier been placed around them to protect members of the public using this busy central London thoroughfare.”

He said some people passing noticed the frames moving in “strong winds”, but there was no cordon around the site to protect the public.

"There can be no dispute that there was a clear and serious risk posed by these window frames, given their weight and size”, said the prosecutor.

"Indeed it was obvious to anyone that they carrier a clear and serious risk of death, and that such a risk was posed to those, like Amanda Telfer, who were affected by their work simply by walking past the construction site while going about their own lives.

“There were a series of obvious and, in many cases, straightforward steps that could have been taken to avoid that risk, ranging from cancellation, delay, refusal of delivery to storage, the use of straps and barriers.

"None were taken by any defendant and Amanda Telfer died as a result.”

Construction site manager Damian Lakin-Hall, 50, project manager Claire Gordon, 36, and supervisor Kelvin Adsett, 63, are all in the dock accused of gross negligence manslaughter and failure to take reasonable care for safety while at work.

A fourth defendant, Senior contracts manager Steve Rogers, 62, is also accused of a failure to take reasonable care for safety while at work.

Adsett’s employers, I S Europe Ltd, based in Slough, Westgreen Construction Ltd, based in Richmond, Surrey, who employed Lakin-Hall and Rogers, and Leeds-based Drawn Metal Ltd, who employed Gordon are all accused of health and safety breaches.

Mr Atkinson said all the defendants “were directly and significantly involved with the ongoing buildings project” and had duties “to conduct their work in a reasonably safe way so as not to endanger other people”.

"This case is concerned with the failure by each of these defendants to discharge their health and safety responsibilities, with particular reference to the way that they managed or addressed the risks associated with the delivery and installation of these very large and very heavy window frames where it should have been obvious to anyone involved - and indeed, frankly, to anyone - that such large and heavy objects could inflict serious injury, and indeed could kill.”

The court heard the construction team were not ready for the frames when they were delivered, so they were left propped up outside.

Mr Atkinson said neither Larkin-Hall nor Rogers “took any meaningful steps” to secure the frame when they arrived at work the following morning.

Lakin-Hall, of Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey; Claire Gordon, of Ashby Crescent, Leeds; and Adsett, of New Road, Slough, Berkshire, Rogers, of Sheering Mill Lane, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, deny the charges against them.

The three companies have also all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial continues.