A man who was operating fireworks near the scene of a
fatal pile-up on the motorway is accused of seven counts of manslaughter.
A man has been charged with seven counts of manslaughter
after a fatal pile-up on the M5 during thick fog. Geoffrey Counsell, 50, from
Somerset, was operating a fireworks display at nearby Taunton Rugby Club when
the crash - which involved 34 vehicles - happened in November 2011. Seven
people were killed and 51 others injured.
Lorry drivers Terry Brice, from Patchway,
Gloucestershire, and Kye Thomas, from Gunnislake, Cornwall, died in the crash
along with father and daughter Michael and Maggie Barton, from Windsor,
Berkshire, grandparents Anthony and Pamela Adams, from Newport, and battle
re-enactor Malcolm Beacham, from Woolavington, near Bridgwater.
Among those badly injured in the crash on the north-bound
carriageway at junction 25 was Emma Barton, 19, who woke from a five-day coma
to discover her father and sister had been killed.
A statement from Avon and Somerset Police and Crown
Prosecution Service said: "Since the collision we have worked closely
together to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the collision and to
carefully consider all the evidence."This has been a complex process which
has also involved working with Taunton Deane Borough Council and seeking the
views of expert witnesses. Having considered the evidence in line with the Code
for Crown Prosecutors, the CPS decided there was sufficient evidence to charge
Geoffrey Counsell, the provider of the fireworks display at Taunton Rugby Club
on the night of the collision, with manslaughter".
The statement added there was insufficient evidence to
prosecute for driver error or the culpability of Taunton Rugby Club.
Counsell is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court
on 12 November 2012.
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