Jurors have heard closing speeches in the trial of Neil Speakman, a 39-year-old man accused of killing his son, Albie Speakman, in a tragic farm vehicle incident.

The incident occurred on July 16, 2022, around midday, at Neil Speakman's farm in Bury. While operating a telehandler to pick up wood chippings, he reversed and drove over his son, who was playing in the garden with their dogs. Albie was left with catastrophic head injuries and pronounced dead at the hospital hours later.

The court at Minshull Street Crown heard that the accident took place in a yard adjacent to a small garden where Mr Speakman had left Albie to play. Testimony revealed that although Mr Speakman was familiar with the machine, he lacked formal training, and the telehandler was found to be defective, with one wing mirror missing and the other unusable due to dirt.

Prosecutor John Elvidge KC stated, “The prosecution case is that Albie died as a result of his father’s negligence, which created a serious risk of death.” He emphasized that while Mr Speakman did not intend to harm Albie, the circumstances surrounding the negligence were exceptionally bad and amounted to gross negligence.

During the closing speeches, Mr Elvidge argued that a parent has a primary duty of care to protect their child, especially given that young children are unpredictable and lack life experience. He referenced Albie's vulnerability due to his young age and his father's failure to consider the risks posed by the vehicle.

In his defense, Alexander Leach KC argued that Mr Speakman was continuously assessing risks, describing the incident as a ‘tragic accident’. He highlighted that allegations of gross negligence need to meet a high threshold and added that the situation should not be mischaracterized as a criminal act.

Mr Elvidge contended that Mr Speakman failed to take necessary precautions, such as performing a proper risk assessment before operating the machine. He claimed that if Mr Speakman had been more diligent, Albie’s death could have been prevented.

The court also examined a video in which Mr Speakman's partner, Millie Barrack, is seen inside the telehandler's bucket as Mr Speakman operates the vehicle. The Health and Safety Executive had previously issued a warning letter to Mr Speakman regarding potential dangers associated with such actions.

Mr Leach criticized the prosecution's claim that Mr Speakman acted with gross negligence, arguing that the common understanding of farm safety does not require exhaustive compliance with all regulatory guidelines, as farmers often learn through experience.

The closing arguments concluded with Mr Speakman denying gross negligence manslaughter but admitting to a lesser charge of breaching a section under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The jury is tasked with determining whether the circumstances meet the high bar for gross negligence.