St James Group fined £1 million and Lindner Prater £300,000 after Vauxhall window death
The Inner London Crown Court ordered the two firms to pay costs of £125,000 each after finding them guilty of ignoring foreseeable risks that led to a fatal falling pane in 2018.
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A London court on Thursday imposed a £1 million penalty on property developer St James Group Ltd and a £300,000 penalty on specialist façade contractor Lindner Prater after a 130 kg window pane fell from the 26th floor of The Corniche in Vauxhall, killing Mick Ferris, 53. The sentencing took place at Inner London Crown Court, where Judge Boyle ordered each company to pay £125,000 in costs and criticised their handling of risk assessments.
Court decision and reasoning
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Judge Boyle said St James should have been more robust in ensuring the critical safety component of the window was present and engaged. He added that Lindner Prater should have completed and documented a proper risk‑assessment process. Both firms were found guilty of ignoring foreseeable risks under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, as reported by the BBC.
Earlier near‑miss in 2017
Evidence presented at the hearing showed that a window panel had already detached from the same development in August 2017. The design was not substantially altered after that incident, a point highlighted by The Guardian. The court noted that the failure to act on the earlier event contributed to the fatal outcome in 2018.
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Safety concerns about the window design
The trial revealed that the window opened outward and was held by a single metal restrictor, a configuration that could be prised off by wind. While Judge Boyle said the design was common in the industry and not prohibited by HSE guidance, he stressed that the missing restrictor, if correctly installed, would have prevented detachment.
The fact lessons had not been learnt from a near‑miss the year before makes what happened on that day all the more galling.
James Goldfinch, HSE principal inspector
St James issued a statement acknowledging the tragedy and confirming that safety remains a priority, as noted by The Standard. The firms have not indicated whether they will appeal the decision. The HSE said it will continue monitoring similar high‑rise developments to ensure risk assessments are properly carried out.
Questions this report answers
+What fines were imposed on the companies?
St James Group Ltd was ordered to pay a £1 million fine and Lindner Prater a £300,000 fine for health‑and‑safety breaches. In addition, each company must cover £125,000 in court costs, bringing the total financial penalty to £1.3 million.
+Why were the firms found guilty?
Both firms were convicted of ignoring foreseeable risks and failing to discharge their duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The court said they did not carry out adequate risk assessments for the large window that later fell.
+What did the court say about the window design?
Judge Boyle noted that the window’s outward‑opening design, held by a single metal restrictor, was common in the industry and not prohibited by HSE guidance. However, he stressed that the missing or disengaged restrictor would have prevented the pane from detaching.
+What did the HSE inspector say about the incident?
HSE principal inspector James Goldfinch described the repeat failure as "simply criminal" and said the lack of lessons learned from the 2017 near‑miss made the 2018 death especially galling. He warned that anyone could have been harmed by such omissions.
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