Corporate manslaughter

The Government published its long-awaited draft Bill on the creation of a new criminal offence of corporate manslaughter shortly before the May 2005 general election. The Bill was included in the Queen's Speech after the general election and, with a Labour government back in power, the new offence could be on to the statute book as early as 2006. The Home Affairs Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee announced ajoint inquiry to consider and report on the Bill. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2005. Pressure for reform of the law relating to manslaughter and corporate killing arose out of a series of high profile fatal accidents, including several rail crashes. There has been said to be an increasing concern amongst the public that companies and organisations are not being held sufficiently accountable for deaths caused by their criminal negligence. The author acted in the first of the major cases, representing the directors accused of manslaughter following the Herald of Free Enterprise capsize disaster in 1987.