A MOTOR firm division found guilty for the death of a senior engineer in Maidenhead has been fined £650,000.

Formula One motor firm McLaren was found guilty of two health and safety charges over the death of David Oldham last month.

The senior engineer had been inspecting the company's Brand Centre, a mobile building taken to Grand Prix meetings, at a warehouse on October 18, 2016 when he fell.

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He was sadly found on the floor of the warehouse and taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where he died the following day.

During a trial at Reading Crown Court, the jury heard that Mr Oldham was a ‘distinguished senior engineer’ and was working on a level with exposed edges while inspecting the brand centre's ceiling.

Mr Oldham's employer Zurich Management Services was found not guilty of a safety offence.

The firm was instead found guilty of failing to ensure that both employees and other people were not exposed to the risk of falling from height by not carrying out ‘an efficient risk assessment’.

It was heard that Mr Oldham had inspected the building on four previous occasions the first being in 2011.

At Reading Crown Court today, the company were sentenced to a fine of £650,000 plus legal costs of £110,000.

Reading a victim statement over video link to the court, Mr Oldham’s wife Patricia said: “That phone call of my husband’s accident changed my life, even now as I recall that moment my heart is aching and feels like it’s struggling to get air.

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“I was screaming but no noise came out. I still see him lying there, blood stains on his face, bruising. I tried to wake him up but no response.

“Making the decision to switch off the line of someone’s life is something I wish I never had to experience.

“I want my husband back, I want my life back. I miss my husband so much. Every night I say goodnight to Dave and every morning I still expect him to be beside me.

“This is a tragedy for my husband, he lost his life, he lost his retirement, he lost the chance to see his grandchildren grow up and get married.

“He did not expect to go to work one day and not return. My darling husband’s life was taken away from him and on the same day my life ended too.”

The court heard that Mrs Oldham is also on antidepressants and had to resign from her job as a teacher due to feeling ‘increasingly frustrated and stressed.”

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John Cooper, defending, said: “The company wants to express their condolences to [Mr Oldman’s] family.”

The court heard the company has no previous convictions.

Sentencing Judge Amjad Khan said: “This case involved sadly the death of Mr Oldham. [The victim statement was heartfelt and heart wrenching, the whole family has been denied companionship of Mr Oldham.

“The court offer their sympathies and condolences to Mr Oldham’s family.”

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He continued: “For reasons unknown, Mr Oldham fell. It’s a puzzling part of the case – which floor was he in on? What was he doing at the time? Was he on the stepladder? There’s a complete absence of evidence.

“Those working on the ground floor saw him falling. There was no shouting, no movement, he simply fell.”