Relatives press DPP to act over man killed by crane

Public prosecutors will come under new pressure today to prosecute an employer for manslaughter over the death of a student whose head was crushedby a crane.

Public prosecutors will come under new pressure today to prosecute an employer for manslaughter over the death of a student whose head was crushedby a crane.

Friends and supporters of Simon Jones, who died aged 25 in the accident more than two years ago, intend to stage demonstrations on the streets of central London in an attempt to persuade the Director of Public Prosecutions to take court action.

David Calvert-Smith, the DPP, has so far refused to prosecute the firm, despite a declaration by two High Court judges five months ago that the Crown Prosecution Service had behaved "irrationally" and failed "properly to address the relevant law" when officials decided there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

Mr Jones was killed when he was working for Euromin at Shoreham docks, West Sussex, on 24 April 1998. He had been hooking bags to chains that had been wrongly welded to the inside of a crane's grab.

Colin Chalmers, a friend, said: "It is disgraceful that prosecutors have failed to take the necessary action. It is almost impossible to get punished for killing or injuring your employees in this country."