Falling wall crushed boy labourer

A 15-year-old boy who worked as a casual labourer was crushed to death as he was left unsupervised to prop up a falling wall, the Old Bailey has heard.

Adam Gosling, from Latchingdon, Essex, died from head injuries while working on a five-bedroom house in Hadley Wood, north London, in April 2007.

Colin Holtom, from Latchingdon, denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

The jury heard Mr Holtom had a "laissez faire" attitude to health and safety and had left the boy unsupervised.

Adam was earning £25-a-day working along with his older brothers, Martyn Bowyer, prosecuting, said.

Had he (Colin Holtom) been present, as he should have been, we say Adam might have been alive today Martyn Bowyer, prosecuting

The incident happened days after Mr Holtom sub-contracted the work from Darren Fowler, of Upminster, Essex, who denies breaching health and safety law.

"Mr Holtom left Adam Gosling in a situation that exposed him to an obvious risk of harm when he owed him a duty of care not to do that.

"Colin Holtom was not present when the wall collapsed. Had he been present, as he should have been, we say Adam might have been alive today."

He and brother Dean, 18, were unsupervised and given sledgehammers and a pneumatic hammer and told to bring down the unstable seven-metre wall but not given instructions.

As they began the wall began to lean towards the neighbour's house. Dean grabbed on to the wall while Adam ran off to get instructions from Mr Holtom, Mr Bowyer said.

'Tragic' accident

"According to Dean, when Adam came back, he said that he had been told by Colin Holtom to go into the neighbour's garden and push the wall back, as they had been told not to let the wall fall.

"Adam then jumped over a small fence into the rear garden and attempted to prop up the wall while his older brother was trying to pull it back.

"Then tragically it toppled towards Adam, splitting in the middle, and fell on him."

When a "distraught" Dean failed to budge the pieces he fetched Mr Holtom.

"Colin Holtom said words to the effect of 'the stupid idiot, what was he doing behind there?' to which Dean replied 'don't lie now'."

Mr Holtom had never provided workers with safety equipment such as hard hats, protective boots and safety goggles, the court heard.

The trial continues.