A farmer who reversed over his son with a defective tractor has been jailed following the toddler’s death.
Neil Speakman, 39, was sentenced for one year in prison at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court following the tragedy at his farm in Bury on July 16, 2022. Albie Speakman, three, was killed during the accident after he was left to play with the family’s two dogs.
The court had previously heard that the dad had used the Kramer telehandler, despite not being officially trained. Several defects were uncovered with the tractor including a missing wing mirror.
The dad pumped his fists in court when he was found not guilty of manslaughter. However, he admitted to a health and safety offence and lashed out at a previous hearing, saying: “I shouldn’t have to do this, it’s not f***ing fair.”
At the sentencing hearing, judge Mr Justice Bourne said there is “no excuse for farms not following simple principles seen on HSE guidelines.” He added: “There was a degree of flagrant disregard.”
The judge has ordered Speakman to pay a contribution to prosecution costs of £2,000, at a rate of £80 a month, reports Manchester Evening News. He will serve half of his year sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.
When Speakman was interviewed by the police, he said Albie “knew not to go near anything” on the farm because he wasn’t a “r****d”. He said: “He knew, he weren’t f****** stupid… it’s a farm isn’t it? It’s not a f****** playground and Albie knew it weren’t, he knew his boundaries. He knew where he could go and where he couldn’t go.”
An officer asked: “How did he know?” Mr Speakman replied: “Because you told him. You know he wasn’t a r****d.” The prosecution at Manchester Minshull Street said the area was insecure so Albie was free to wander into the yard where his father was working. Speakman told the jury he “checked profusely” for blind spots and did not see his son.
He said: “I looked over both shoulders a number of times, I have gone fully round, 180 degrees. If I thought Albie was even an inch into that yard I would never have moved that vehicle. If I thought for one second he was not on that grass I would not even have moved that stupid thing.”
He added: “It was a tragic accident. I made a mistake.” Speakman had pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act in failing to ensure, so far as reasonably practical, the health and safety of Albie. Jurors were told that to find he had acted with gross negligence they needed to be sure the circumstances of the breach were “truly exceptionally bad”.
Albie would stay with his father on alternate weekends, and was dropped off by his mother, Leah Bridge, in the morning of July 16. On Friday, the court heard a victim impact statement from Albie’s mother. It partly said: “It’s been two and a half years since Albie was taken from us, and believe me when I say, it does not get any easier. It’s like no one can see how broken I am and how broken my life is, forever. Before Albie was killed – I have never thought about death, but now it’s all I think about, and I am not scared of dying anymore.
“To everyone that hears this – Albie is just a name, but to me Albie was my reason to live, Albie was the voice who said “mummy, I love you”, Albie was the person I shared my life with, Albie is a brother, a grandson, a friend at nursery.
“Albie is everything to me and now he is not here because of someone else’s actions. Albie, you are my everything boy and I am your everything girl. The only thing that keeps me going is thinking that every new day is one day closer to me seeing you again. I love you endlessly my sunshine boy.”
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