2020-09-30 · Cork
Farmer will not face second prosecution over tractor death of boy (14)
In a 2020 Court of Appeal decision, a Cork farmer, Mr George Ross, was cleared from a second prosecution over the death of 14‑year‑old Micheál Murphy, who fell from a tractor in 2013. The appeal overturned a prior ruling that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) could pursue a new charge under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act. Mr Ross had already been convicted in 2014 for a Road Traffic Act offence related to the same incident and fined €700. The judge, Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, criticised the seven‑year delay between the death and the appeal, noting it reflected poorly on the State. She found no special circumstances to justify sequential prosecutions and rejected the HSA's claim that additional evidence had only emerged after the tractor was seized. Consequently, Mr Ross will not face the HSA charge, which carries a maximum fine of €3 million and a two‑year prison term.