A farmer who failed to properly attach a trailer to a tractor he was driving, which resulted in the death of a 79-year-old man, has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.
Colin Baines has been warned of jail time after his three-tonne trailer detached and killed 79-year-old pedestrian in Birch, Essex.
Frank Fenning, was walking to get his Sunday newspaper in Birch Street, Birch, when the trailer became detached from a tractor driven by local farmer Colin Baines who had been delivering hay bales.
The trailer had safely carried more than 100 bales of hay that morning and had delivered a similar number on the previous day without any problem.
Ipswich Crown Court heard Baines, 67, of School Lane, Great Wigborough, near Colchester, had pleaded not guilty to causing Mr Fenning’s death by dangerous driving on July 5, 2015, but was convicted by a jury after a three-day trial.
'Simple checks'
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Scott Egerton, of Essex Police, said: “There has never been any suggestion that Colin Baines drove in a dangerous way, but as the driver of a large agricultural vehicle and trailer he should have made simple checks which would have shown him that the tractor and trailer were not correctly joined.
“By taking his tractor on the road in this dangerous condition, Colin Baines caused the death of Frank Fenning. Mr Baines has to live with the consequences of this for the rest of his life, but tragically so does Eileen Fenning, whose husband never came home that day.
“This case must serve as a warning to all who tow anything from their vehicle that you must check the safety of your vehicle before entering the road.”
