A farmer who killed his three-year-old son when he reversed a faulty vehicle into him has been jailed for 12 months.
Albie Speakman passed away after sustaining severe injuries in a collision involving a telehandler operated by his father, Neil Speakman, aged 39, in Bury, Greater Manchester, on July 16, 2022.
The tragic incident occurred when the toddler was playing unsupervised in an unsecured garden area at the front of the farmhouse on Bentley Hall Road, Walshaw. Meanwhile, Mr. Speakman was operating the telehandler in a nearby yard.
The 39-year-old was initially cleared of gross negligence manslaughter by a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court earlier this month.
During the initial day of the trial, the father admitted guilt to a violation of the Health and Safety at Work Act for neglecting to ensure the appropriate safety and care of his son.
The toddler’s mother, Leah Bridge, had dropped Albie off at the farm on the day of the tragedy for a regular weekend visit with his father who she separated from shortly after giving birth.
Justice Judge Charles Bourne KC told Mr Speakman: ‘To state the obvious it was a terrible tragedy for the child, for you and for Ms Bridge and the other family members.
‘You have got to face up to the responsibility of that.
Neil Speakman (pictured), 39, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after killing his three-year-old son, Alfie, when he hit him with a faulty telehandler vehicle
Alfie Speakman (pictured), 3, was playing in an unsecured garden area near where his father was operating the vehicle in a yard
The toddler’s mother, Leah Bridge (pictured), had dropped Albie off at the farm on the day of the tragedy for a regular weekend visit with his father who she separated from shortly after giving birth
‘What happened on July 16, 2022, was not bad luck.
‘It was an entire failure to look after Albie and keep him safe.
‘It was not appropriate for you to work. Caring came first.
‘There were three adults at the farm that day so there was nothing difficult in keeping him safe.’
Mr Speakman had borrowed the Kramer telehandler from a neighbour and was using it to move woodchips into bags when Albie wandered into the nearby yard.
The judge told him: ‘The risk of harm was created by a combination of factors.
Albie had wandered into the yard where his father was operating a defective Kramer telehandler to move woodchips into bags
Speakman was seen leaving Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court earlier this month after being cleared of gross negligence manslaughter
Ms Bridge told the court her life would be ‘forever broken’ earlier this month after losing her son
‘While Albie was in your care you were using the telehandler – having had no training – instead of looking after him and he was in an area close by with no protection.
‘Visibility to the rear of the telehandler was compromised. One of the wing mirrors was missing, one was dirty, and the vehicle made no warning sound when reversing.
‘I am sure that your acts and omissions that day created a risk of harm that day, including death.’
Judge Bourne said he acknowledged Albie’s death had had a ‘very profound impact’ on the defendant and that he had since taken steps to make the farm a ‘much safer place’ for the two young children he has with his current partner.
But he said the appropriate sentence could only be achieved by immediate custody for the ‘appalling consequences’ for Albie and Ms Bridge.
The three-year-old is now buried at Radcliffe Cemetery following his death in July 2022
He added: ‘It is important for those in the farming profession to know that offences of this kind will attract strict legal consequences as well as personal consequences.’
Mr Speakman has numerous previous convictions for unrelated offences involving violence and public order, and had previously received two suspended jail terms, including one for dangerous driving in 2009.
Judge Bourne said that compensation should be dealt with in civil court, with Speakman now paying a contribution to prosecution costs of £2,000 at a rate of £80 a month.
Ms Bridge paid tribute to her son which left Speakman in tears as she told how her life is now changed forever.
Her statement to court said: ‘You are only three and you had such a beautiful life ahead of you, you had so many things left to do and see.
‘It absolutely breaks me to think that you have had to be brave enough to experience something as harrowing as death at three-years old.
Ms Bridge paid tribute to her son, who she said ‘had such a beautiful life’ ahead of him with ‘so much to do and see’
‘It puts into perspective how close I am to death, and I no longer fear it. Before Albie was killed – I have never thought about death, but now it’s all I think about, and I am not scared of dying anymore.
‘To everyone that hears this – Albie is just a name, but to me Albie was my reason to live, Albie was the voice who said “mummy, I love you”, Albie was the person I shared my life with, Albie is a brother, a grandson, a friend at nursery.
‘Albie is everything to me and now he is not here because of someone else’s actions.
‘Albie, you are my everything boy and I am your everything girl. The only thing that keeps me going is thinking that every new day is one day closer to me seeing you again.
‘I love you endlessly my sunshine boy.’
