Corporate Manslaughter Sentencing
Fines for organisations guilty of the new offence of corporate manslaughter will not be linked to profit or turnover according to the Sentencing Guidelines Council
The original proposal for fines to be between 2.5 & 10 percent of an organisations annual turnover has been rejectted in favour of a new proposal.
The Consultation Document states:
“The offence of corporate manslaughter, because it requires gross breach at a senior level, will ordinarily involve a level of seriousness significantly greater than a HSWA offence. The appropriate fine will seldom be less than £500,000 and may be measured in millions of pounds”
Courts will also be able to require the offending organisation to advertise the fact of its conviction, failure to comply with which will result in a further, unlimited fine
Consultation ends on 5th January 2010 – watch this space for more information
