Tragic death of a worker at a recycling centre in Redruth

Martin Hearn has been awarded a Chief Superintendent’s Commendation for his meticulous investigative skills and dedication to duty in investigating a complex corporate manslaughter case at an awards ceremony hosted by Devon & Cornwall Police.

In November 2017, the police started investigative work into the death of a worker at H&A Recycling, a recycling plant in Redruth, following the death of a young employee Dale Mcclelland who became trapped in a bailer machine.

Dale Mcclelland (left) died after being crushed at a Redruth factory where CCTV showed some workers play fighting (Image: D&C Police)

Due to the meticulous investigation and dedication by DC Hearn and the team, H&A Recycling pleaded guilty and were subsequently found guilty of corporate manslaughter. As a result of this, H&A Recycling were closed down and received a fine worth approximately £200,000. This case produced the first corporate manslaughter conviction for Devon & Cornwall Police Force, and remains one of a small number of such convictions nationally.

Following meticulous investigation, DC Hearn and his team, including Sergeant Nige Green and now-retired Inspector Steve Hambly, discovered the true extent to the poor working conditions the workforce were faced with, which was largely made up of young men.

The employees were subjected to working in areas where there were rats present, rubbish covering the floors, and strong odours. Following evidence gathered as part of the case, the company were found to have severely lacked consideration for their employees’ wellbeing, health, and safety. Employees were doing dangerous tasks which went far beyond the expectation of someone fulfilling that role, and were paid low wages in return.

Following the report of the young employee’s death, DC Hearn volunteered to perform the role of Case Officer for what was to be a lengthy and complicated investigation, which was conducted alongside the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division. DC Hearn was pivotal in identifying different factors which raised concern around the safe operation of potentially dangerous, heavy-duty machinery, as well as the safe working environment of those employed by the recycling plant.

At the awards ceremony, DC Hearn recalled the significant quantity of evidence that needed analysing over the three-year period in which the investigation took place. DC Hearn and the team used multiple investigative techniques to secure evidence to support the corporate manslaughter conviction. The evidence-gathering process for this case was different to other crimes Detective Constables investigate. In this case, evidence-gathering was a slower process, and required the team to sift through employee training records, various computer records, and trawl through a significant quantity of CCTV footage to determine whether or not the company was at fault under corporate manslaughter.

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Commander Chief Superintendent Ben Deer, who presented DC Hearn with his award, said: “I was delighted to present DC Hearn with a Chief Superintendent’s Commendation for his exemplary investigative work into the H&A Recycling corporate manslaughter case. Despite a lengthy, complex investigation, DC Hearn’s efforts and thorough investigation alongside his team led the company to pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter at Plymouth Crown Court.”

Chief Supt Deer continued: “It is a huge tragedy that a young person lost their life as a result of poor working conditions. DC Hearn’s commitment to gathering and analysing all of the evidence has led to the company being prosecuted and has prevented further employees from being at risk of death or serious injury whilst at work.”