Company fined over teenager's wall collapse death

Reece Gething was a "cheeky, big-hearted" teenager, his parents said

A company has been fined £90,000 after a teenager died when a free-standing wall collapsed on top of him.

Reece Gething, 16, was crushed in a car park behind a funeral directors firm in Aldershot, Hampshire, in February 2020.

Staines Steel Gate Company admitted failing to perform safety checks when it fitted a chain to the wall, which had previously been damaged by a lorry.

Judge Angela Morris said the firm had shown a "lamentable lack of care".

The chain was fitted to stop unauthorised parking behind Ford Mears funeral directors in Birchett Road, the court heard.

The Aldershot teenager and friends were bouncing on the chain for less than a minute before the wall collapsed on 13 February.

He suffered head and internal injuries, the court was told.

The teenager died when a car park wall collapsed on top of him

Judge Morris said the firm, which pleaded guilty to a health and safety offence, had paid "precious little attention" to its statutory duty.

She told the court: "This young man had his life ahead of him and to have it taken away in such random and devastating circumstances is cruel beyond words."

The teenager's parents, Haylie Isom and Kevin Gething, paid tribute to their "big-hearted, cheeky" son.

In a statement, they said: "Reecey was an outdoorsy boy. He was loved by his siblings and he adored them.

"Reece wasn't an angel... He rebelled against authority, as many kids his age do.

"He will live on in all our hearts and in the memories we have of him."

Rushmoor Borough Council, which brought the prosecution, said the firm failed to assess the wall's condition and then attached a chain without recognising the inherent risks or seeking advice.

The authority's deputy leader, Councillor Maurice Sheehan, said: "We hope Reece's legacy is that no-one else ever loses their life in this way again."

Winchester Crown Court heard there was little prospect of the fine being paid as the firm was in liquidation.

The company's insurers will pay £15,120 in compensation to the teenager's family and nearly £53,000 to the council to cover legal costs.