The family of a young father who was killed by a collapsing crane today said “no amount of money” could bring them justice as the hire firm was hit with a £750,000 fine almost 10 years after the tragedy.
Michael Alexa, 23, and Jonathan Cloke, 37, died when an overloaded 165ft-crane crashed to the ground in Battersea in September 2006.
Falcon Crane Hire Ltd was ordered to pay a £750,000 fine in respect to both victims, and £100,000 costs at Southwark crown court.
At an earlier hearing the company admitted two health and safety breaches. Charges were dropped against managing director Douglas Genge, 71.
Mr Alexa, a bus driver who had an 18-month-old son, was changing a wheel on his car when he was crushed. Crane operator Mr Cloke died at the controls.
Mr Alexa’s mother, Liliana, 56, told the Standard: “No amount of money is justice. It cannot bring my son back in any way, shape or form.
"For normal people it is a lot of money, but for them — they have a turnover of £20 million a year. We have been given a life sentence.
"I don’t want to see any other family destroyed like my family. He was my first-born and the love of my life.”
The families of both men had to wait nearly six years for an inquest, which heard the operators had used the wrong instruction manual when erecting the crane.
It was being used on a Barratt Homes development and had been loaded with 12 tonnes of counterweights instead of eight.
The Crown Prosecution Service initially said no one would be prosecuted over the deaths but reversed its position when the inquest jury blamed the crane company.
Deanna Heer, prosecuting, said four bolts were broken and a further eight were loose or not as tight as they ought to be.
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She told the court the company would have been aware there “was an underlying fault with the crane, they knew it was dangerous but it was not removed from service”.
Mrs Alexa added: “They should have been closed straight away and they should have been banned from doing business. There are two children who will grow up without a father. My son was so full of life and had so many prospects.”
The family believes they are unable to make a civil claim as it has passed the limitation period of six years.
Oliver Campbell, defending, told the court: “The company’s directors will always have to live with the knowledge that they should and could have done better with this accident. The company has since scrapped all the cranes in that model, and changed all its inspection procedures.”
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