U.K. saw 40% increase in corporate manslaughter cases in 2012
Reprints
The number of corporate manslaughter cases opened by the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service rose by 40% last year, according to research by law firm Pinsent Masons L.L.P.
The CPS opened 63 cases in 2012, compared with 45 in 2011, according to the research.
Currently, 56 cases are being investigated, Pinsent Masons said.
Since 2009, when the first cases of corporate manslaughter were brought, there have been 141 cases opened, the law firm said.
In April 2008, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force in the United Kingdom, making it easier for large and medium-size companies to be found liable for corporate manslaughter that arose from a gross breach of duty of care, Pinsent Masons said in a statement.
To date, there have been three convictions.
“A low number of convictions could lead businesses to think corporate manslaughter is an option little used by prosecutors,” said Simon Joyston-Bechal, a health and safety lawyer at Pinsent Masons. “However, corporate manslaughter cases are very complex and can take a long time to come to trial. We can now see from these figures that there are a rapidly growing number of cases in the pipeline,” he added.
