Haulage bosses deny manslaughter

Neville and Cheryl De'ath were both killed in the crash

Transport bosses pushed their drivers to work excessive hours to boost profits - leading to a fatal crash on a Wiltshire road, a court has been told.

Neville and Cheryl De'ath, of Colchester, died in an accident on the A303 on 2 March 2007.

Translact, the parent company of Taymix Transport Ltd, a director and a transport planner face two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The defendants are also charged with health and safety breaches.

Company director Robert Taylor, 34, from Tarrant Hinton, Dorset, and transport planner Nicholas Read, 44, from Pimperne, also in Dorset, deny the manslaughter charge.

Both men and Robert Taylor's father Rory, 58, who lives in Pimperne, also deny breaching the Health and Safety At Work Act.

Lorry driver Maciej Szcygiecki from Poland has already pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving after the vehicle he was driving hit the De'Ath's car at Keysley Down, near Chicklade on 2 March 2007.

Winchester Crown Court was told that the Taylors and Mr Read pressured their drivers to break road safety rules by working excessive hours.

If a man is put behind the wheel and is too tired to drive safely, the risk of a crash involving a fatality... is only one step away Sasha Wass QC

Tachographs fitted to company vehicles to record driving hours were "forged," the court was told, "in order to cover up the companies' procedures of making the drivers work excessive hours".

Prosecuting, Sasha Wass QC, said: "If a man is put behind the wheel and that man is too tired to drive safely, the risk of a crash involving a fatality... is only one step away, and there is no better example than what happened on 2 March, 2007."

Mr Taylor and Mr Read were in charge of drivers working for Translact while Rory Taylor was director of both companies, running them from the same premises in Blandford Forum.