Warrenpoint Harbour Authority (WHA) today denied causing the death of one of its employees – a married father-of-three – in July 2019.
Stood in the dock at Newry Crown Court, the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, David Holmes, pleaded not guilty to a charge of corporate manslaughter on July 18, 2019, namely that WHA “caused the death of Kevin McGeough in that you managed or organised your activities in a way amounting to a gross breach of a relevant duty of care owed by you to the said deceased”.
As Mr McGeough’s family watched on from the public gallery, Mr Holmes pleaded not guilty, on behalf of the WHA, to two further breaches of health and safety, namely a failure to ensure a safe system of work, and as an employer failing to assess risks.
A provisional trial date, which crown prosecutor Fiona O’Kane says could take upwards of two to three weeks, was set for February 10, next year.
However, a review will be carried out next month to see how feasible the trial date is, as a number of matters still need to be ironed out.
Mr McGeough, who had worked at the Harbour in Warrenpoint for a number of decades, died following an incident involving a loading shovel.
Speaking in the aftermath of his death, local councillor Jarlath Tinnelly, who lives in Rostrevor, said: “Kevin was a highly regarded, hard working man from a well-respected family.”
Mr McGeough is survived by his wife Patricia, sons Kevin and John, daughter Gerardine and grandson Callum.
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