School head fined over safety breaches
Friday, 22nd March 2002.
BREACHES of safety during construction work at a prep school near Haverhill have led to fines and costs totalling £17,000.
The school's headmaster and owner, Colonel Keith Boulter, of Barnardiston Hall Prep School, Barnardiston, must pay another £14,931 in prosecution costs.
Yesterday, South East Suffolk magistrates gave him 12 months to pay the fines and costs.
Boulter had pleaded guilty to five offences under the health and safety legislation. Two of the offences were concerned with safety of staff and pupils and others on the site and he was fined £6,000 on each of these offences.
For an offence of failing to ensure electrical wiring was maintained he was fined a further £3,000.
A fine of £2,000 was imposed for failing to appoint a planning supervisor for the construction work.
The magistrates did not impose a separate penalty for an offence of failing to appoint a principal contractor.
There was a dispute between prosecution and defence over whether the breaches represented a high safety risk to those at the school. The magistrates, headed by court chairman Huw Davies, found the risk was low. Mr Davies said the fines reflected this.
This was a point welcomed afterwards by defence solicitor Philip Saunders.
He said the fines represented less than a third of the maximum possible.
He said the safety of pupils and staff had always been paramount at the school.
The school's headmaster and owner, Colonel Keith Boulter, of Barnardiston Hall Prep School, Barnardiston, must pay another £14,931 in prosecution costs.
Yesterday, South East Suffolk magistrates gave him 12 months to pay the fines and costs.
Boulter had pleaded guilty to five offences under the health and safety legislation. Two of the offences were concerned with safety of staff and pupils and others on the site and he was fined £6,000 on each of these offences.
For an offence of failing to ensure electrical wiring was maintained he was fined a further £3,000.
A fine of £2,000 was imposed for failing to appoint a planning supervisor for the construction work.
The magistrates did not impose a separate penalty for an offence of failing to appoint a principal contractor.
There was a dispute between prosecution and defence over whether the breaches represented a high safety risk to those at the school. The magistrates, headed by court chairman Huw Davies, found the risk was low. Mr Davies said the fines reflected this.
This was a point welcomed afterwards by defence solicitor Philip Saunders.
He said the fines represented less than a third of the maximum possible.
He said the safety of pupils and staff had always been paramount at the school.
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