Construction bosses put their own family members at risk of exposure to asbestos while carrying out a contract to convert a famous department store into student flats.
Alan Barraclough and James Keegan have today both been handed suspended prison sentences after being convicted of health and safety charges arising from work to develop the former Joplings store in Sunderland City Centre.
The pair, who were both directors of Keebar Construction Ltd which won a £2.4m contract to carry out the work, were also banned from being company directors for 10 years at Newcastle Crown Court.
They were convicted of failing to ensure the health and safety of employees and non employees in relation to exposure to asbestos fibres, following a 10 day trial.
Passing sentence Judge Stephen Earl explained an asbestos expert had told the jury it was the "worst case" he had come across.
And he said the construction bosses had put their own family members, who were working at the site, at risk.
Judge Earl said: "The employees were the defendants' own sons. The actions of these defendants put them in harm's way."
Keegan, 65, of Larkspur Road, Middlesbrough and Barraclough, 51, of Wheldrake Close, Guisborough, were convicted in relation to a time period between May 1 and October 14, 2017.
Their company had won a lucrative contract to convert the Joplings store into student accommodation.
The trial heard how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the site in October that year and stopped the construction work after discovering numerous employees had been exposed to the risk of asbestos over around a five-month period.
"These charges arise out of construction work carried out on the former Joplings building in Sunderland," Judge Earl explained. "the defendants carried out the work through the company Keebar Construction Ltd..
"The site did contain significant amounts of asbestos. Each defendant saw evidence of asbestos in the building. Each defendant knew of the risks."
Keegan and Barraclough were both handed 14-month prison sentences suspended for two years.
They will also have to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay more than £44,000 each in costs.
We reported in 2018 how the Joplings department store had been transformed into luxury student apartments, with the ground floor converted into shops. The building had been derelict since 2010.
Read next:
