A farmer has been handed a 12-month prison sentence after his three-year-old son was killed when he reversed a defective vehicle into him in 2022.
Albie Speakman lost his life after he was run over by a telehandler that was being driven by his father, Neil Speakman.
An investigation by Greater Manchester Police found he failed to ensure Albie was kept safe from work activities on his family’s farm in Bury.
The telehandler being driven by Mr Speakman was in poor condition, the investigation, which also involved the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found.
Mr Speakman, 39, was using the telehandler to move woodchip into bags while Albie was left playing in a small unfenced garden at the front of the house on Bentley Hall Farm.
The three-year-old wandered onto the farm yard and was fatally struck by the telehandler as it was being reversed.
HSE, the UK's workplace safety watchdog, said children should be kept safe from farming work activities by keeping them in a safe area, such as a farmhouse or a securely fenced play area.
HSE inspector Mike Lisle said the tragedy could easily have been avoided if safety guidance had been followed.
He said: “Our guidance clearly states children should be kept away from farming activities and work traffic, remaining in a safe space, such as a securely fenced play area.
“Farms are workplaces, but often have a farm house within the grounds. This makes the provision of safe areas for children even more important.”
The investigation identified that Mr Speakman failed to ensure there was a safe segregated area for Albie to play in so that he was kept safe from farm workplace activity.
Instead, Albie was allowed to move around the farm yard while vehicles were being driven.
The investigation found Mr Speakman had borrowed the telehandler from a neighbour, and while he had previously used the vehicle, he was not appropriately trained and had not properly considered the risks involved with using it.
The telehandler was missing a wing mirror on the passenger’s side, while the wing mirror on the driver’s side was dirty – reducing his visibility as he operated the vehicle.
Mr Speakman pleaded guilty, and was handed a 12-month prison sentence and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on 28 February 2025.
He must serve at least six months in prison.
