Mine manager to face gross negligence manslaughter trial at Swansea Crown Court on 24 March 2014
A PROVISIONAL date has been set for the trial of mine manager Malcolm Fyfield, following the deaths of four miners two years ago at a coal mine in South Wales.
David Powell, Charles Breslin, Philip Hill and Gary Jenkins all lost their lives at the Gleision drift mine, near Cilybebyll, in the Swansea Valley, when it was flooded in September 2011.
It is estimated that in around three minutes, more than half a million gallons of water engulfed the section of the mine in which the men were working when they broke through into old flooded workings.
Mr Fyfield, who was the manager of the mine at the time of the incident, was later charged with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and remains on conditional bail. He will face trial at Swansea Crown Court on 24 March 2014.
The company which owned and operated the mine, MNS Mining Ltd, also faces four charges of corporate manslaughter.
Both Mr Fyfield and representatives of the company will attend the court on 16 December 2013 for a plea and case management hearing. The trial itself is expected to run for eight weeks with a break at Easter.
