Boss cleared on transporter death

The boss of a road haulage company has been found not guilty of manslaughter, after a car transporter careered off the road and killed an elderly woman.

Tests on the transporter showed that its brakes were "hopelessly adjusted" when it crushed 78-year-old Joyce McVey beneath its wheels in September 2002.

It was delivering seven Land Rovers to Southampton docks when the accident happened on The Avenue.

Paul Duckmanton, from Rotherham, bowed his head in relief as he was cleared.

Another accident

He and a colleague, foreman Terence Gleadhall, 45, have already admitted to attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Documents had been falsified after the accident to make it appear that the vehicle had been serviced recently.

A previous charge of manslaughter against Mr Gleadhill was dismissed due to lack of evidence.

The transporter's driver, Michael Roberts, 39, also from Rotherham, has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter at an earlier hearing.

All three will be sentenced on Friday back at Winchester Crown Court.

The transporter was involved in another accident on the very same stretch of road just two days before the fatal crash.

Mr Duckmanton was accused of failing to ensure its roadworthiness and not responding to the previous accident.

Tests at HMS Daedalus in Portsmouth found that at 35mph, a similar roadworthy transporter took just 29m to stop, compared to 70m for the faulty vehicle.

Joyce McVey's family said they were disappointed by the verdict.