Birketts secures acquittal for The AFE Group
7 July 2023
UK Top 50 law firm Birketts is pleased to have secured an acquittal of two health and safety offences for The AFE Group Limited.
Following a six-week trial at the Crown Court in Southwark, The AFE Group was acquitted by the jury of charges relating to the death of one of its employees in 2017.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted The AFE Group and three other companies as a result of an electrocution, which occurred when the employee was maintaining a piece of kitchen equipment in a commercial kitchen at a hospital in North London.
The AFE Group was represented by Julie Gowland and Matthew Gowen, Partners in the Regulatory and Corporate Defence Team at Birketts, and Oliver Campbell KC of Henderson Chambers.
Julie Gowland said: “It’s always difficult in cases such as this when you’re dealing with the loss of someone’s life, and our thoughts go out to their friends and family. However, we are pleased that we have been able to advise The AFE Group during this period and that it has been acquitted of these offences.”
Spokesperson from The AFE Group said: “We would like to thank the Birketts team for their help and advice during this process. The expertise given and the professionalism shown across all areas of this case has been second to none, it has been a great support to us.”
Of the three other companies, the manufacturer of the machine that gave rise to the electrocution, pleaded guilty and the other two companies, the installer and the hospital itself, were convicted following the trial. Those defendants are due to be sentenced later in the year.
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Julie Gowland
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Matthew Gowen
