Manslaughter charges against a firework display organiser accused after seven people died in a pile-up on the M5 have been dropped.
Geoffrey Counsell, 50, from Somerset, was operating a firework display in a field close to the motorway, at Taunton Rugby Club, at the time of the crash on the night of November 4, 2011.
The incident, which involved 34 vehicles, was described as one of the worst British motorway crashes in memory.
Witnesses afterwards spoke of thick smoke causing visibility problems for motorists.
Anthony and Pamela Adams, Maggie and Michael Barton, Malcolm Beacham, Terry Brice and Kye Thomas all died.
Counsell was charged with seven counts of manslaughter on October 19 last year.
But when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court, he was told the manslaughter charges were being dropped and he would instead face a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to ensure the safety of others.
McDonald's Worker beats ANGRY customers with a Metal Rod
GREENWICH VILLAGE — A McDonald's cashier is caught on a horrific cell phone video using a metal rod to brutally beat two female customers who'd jumped the counter of his West 4th Street restaurant early Thursday during a fight over their order. The cashier, who police said had previously served a decade for manslaughter, beat the women so badly that one suffered a fractured skull and broken arm in the shocking attack, which was captured on a customer's cell phone and then posted to YouTube. Police have charged the cashier, identified as Rayon McIntosh, 31, with felony assault charges, along with criminal possession of a weapon. Both women were charged with menacing, trespass and disorderly conduct. He is being held at the Manhattan Detention Complex on 000 bail, according to the Department of Correction website. The drama began about 12:30 am Thursday when the two customers — Denise Darbeau, 24, of Queens, and her pal, Rachel Edwards, 24, of Brooklyn — entered the popular fast food spot and began giving McIntosh a hard time, police sources said. In the video, Darbeau, 24, of Queens, is clearly heard cursing at McIntosh after the cashier told her he had to scan a bill to make sure it was authentic before he would give them their food. That's when all hell breaks loose. An agitated Darbeau is seen slapping McIntosh across the face, prompting him to lunge forward and shove the two women. Darbeau leaps onto the counter and clears the other side while Edwards retreats ...Video Rating: 4 / 5
For nearly six years, they were locked up facing a possible death sentence for a grisly 2001 triple homicide in Ypsilanti Township. On Friday, a federal judge dismissed the charges against Deondre Byrd and three other men after a federal prosecutor said new evidence came to light last Friday that prevented the government from taking the case to trial. It was the second time in three years that Byrd escaped murder charges. He has been imprisoned in recent years for both the triple homicide and the slaying of a 16-year-old girl in Ann Arbor, but he has been convicted on only a federal gun charge. "Obviously, I'm pretty upset that almost 11 years later, we still don't have any answers," said Christy Brown, 30, a close family friend of the victims of the triple homicide. She said she got a call from federal prosecutors Thursday saying the case was being dropped, but they wouldn't elaborate. "I was very surprised. I honestly thought they were making some...
By Bianca Prieto, Orlando Sentinel 4:56 p.m. EST, June 20, 2012 Lorenzo Holmes and Willie Bryant III are persons of interest in the shooting death of DeAnthony Ryles. (Orange County Sheriff's Office, Orange County Sheriff's Office / Jun 20, 2012) Orange County murder detectives are looking for two people of interest in the shooting death of DeAnthony Ryles last month. Detectives identified the persons of interest as 23-year-old Lorenzo Holmes and 22-year-old Willie Bryant III. DeAnthony "D.A." Ryles was gunned down around 2:43 a.m. May 21 near the intersection of Lee Road and Kingswood Drive. Ryles and his friends first encountered another group of men at Firestone Live in downtown Orlando, and then later met at aMcDonald'srestaurant north of downtown. The two groups of men began shooting at each other as they drove along Lee Road. Ryles was injured during the shooting and crashed his car into the Fifth Third bank on Lee Road. ...
A manslaughter charge against a Marathon man accused of helping cause the death of a teenager by letting her drive drunk has been dropped due to what prosecutors say is lack of evidence. Michael Mearns, 26, the son of former Marathon Mayor Randy Mearns and grandson of former Marathon Councilwoman Margie Mearns, had been charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence following a Feb. 25, 2011, crash in which 17-year-old Amber Kogelis of Lower Matecumbe Key died. "You have to prove he knew she was drinking," State Attorney Catherine Vogel said Wednesday. "It's clear we do not have evidence of the impairment." That's even though an autopsy revealed Kogelis had a blood alcohol content of .125. In Florida, .08 is considered legally drunk. "It didn't rise to the level beyond a reasonable doubt," said Assistant State Attorney Paunece Ramage. "She wasn't stumbling, she wasn't holding herself up" in a video prosecutors re...
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