Overview
- A 130kg glass pane roughly 85cm by 190cm fell about 300ft from a penthouse on October 2, 2018 and killed 53-year-old coach driver Mick Ferris when it struck him on the pavement.
- Foster + Partners, Lindner Prater Ltd, Wintech Ltd and St James Group Ltd face charges at Inner London Crown Court of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
- The prosecution says the development’s windows were changed from inward- to outward-opening and secured only by a single metal ‘restrictor’, a layout it argues allowed gusts of wind to prise panes from their hinges.
- Jurors heard that a separate window panel fell in August 2017, after which builders were told not to open windows and small warnings were placed rather than redesigning the fittings, a response the prosecution counts among eight missed opportunities.
- The case centers on who made the design decisions and whether firms did enough to reduce risk, and it could affect future standards for glass façades, inspection regimes and legal accountability while Ferris’s family seek answers.