Justice for roof fall victim

Father-of-two Scott Harrower, from Maddiston, died of his injuries on January 22, 2014, after falling 25 feet from the roof of a building he had been working on in Stockport the day before.

Mr Harrower’s fall happened just hours after another worker, also from the Falkirk area, suffered life changing injuries including fractures to the spine, pelvis, leg and arm after falling from the same roof.

Last year Mr Harrower’s son Justin (21) said the family hoped the court case would bring a sense of closure over their loved one’s untimely death.

This week he told The Falkirk Herald that justice had finally been done.

Building firm boss Allan Thomson (52), who denied the charge against him, was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter following a two-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. Thomson, of Woodburn Crescent, Falkirk, was released on bail and faces sentence at the court on April 8.

Michael Smith (52), boss of Rochdale’s C Smith and Sons, was found guilty of failing to ensure the safety of persons not in his employment and failing to ensure work was planned regulated and monitored in a way which ensures it is carried out without risks to safety. He also faces sentence on April 8.

Justin said: “I wasn’t at the trial, but mum was and what was said and what happened down there has given us a lot of closure. We’ve been waiting for a long time for some kind of decision on this.

“We weren’t expecting them to both be found guilty so this has made us feel a lot happier. It’s like we finally have justice for my dad and he can finally rest in peace.”