Two Builders Guilty Over Tragic Roofer Death in Hove
Steven Wenham, 48, from Brighton, and John Nicholas Spiller, 52, from Portslade, have been found guilty following the fatal fall of a roofer at a Hove building site in 2018.
Fatal Fall and Safety Failings Exposed
The incident occurred on July 27, 2018, at a Brunswick Street West site, where 60-year-old roofer Graham Tester tragically fell two storeys from a poorly secured ladder. The ladder was fixed with just two nails hammered into a timber frame. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered shocking failings, including the complete lack of scaffolding or protective barriers.
Charges and Convictions Against Directors and Companies
- Wenham was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence.
- Both Wenham and his firm Total Contractor’s Ltd were guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
- Spiller was cleared of manslaughter but guilty of a Health and Safety offence.
- Spiller’s company, Southern Asphalt Ltd, pleaded guilty to the same safety offence.
Justice for Victim’s Family
Both men await sentencing on June 7, released on bail in the meantime.
Detective Inspector James Meanwell said: “Employers owe a duty of care to their employees. Steven Wenham and John Spiller failed in that duty – the consequences of which were Graham’s tragic death and an irreparable loss to his children and grandchildren.”
He added: “I hope this investigation and trial have provided some comfort to the family that justice has been served.”
