Five-year-old girl died after head got trapped in faulty disability lift, court hears
‘Catalogue of errors’ by companies led to death of Alexys Brown in 2015, prosecutor says
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Your support makes all the difference.A five-year-old died when her head became trapped in a faulty lift at her home after a “catalogue of failings” by the companies tasked with maintaining the device, a court heard.
Alexys Brown suffered “horrific” injuries to her head and neck after becoming stuck between the lift and the ceiling of her family home in Weymouth, Dorset, in August 2015.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard on Monday how the incident took place when Alexys’s older brother, a wheelchair user, asked her to retrieve his mobile phone from upstairs.
As the girl travelled upstairs on the platform lift, she was able to put her head through a hole in the Perspex door panel, becoming trapped in the process.
The children’s grandmother, who had been looking after them at the time, was unable to free her and called for the help of emergency services.
Firefighters then had to cut Alexys free as there was not emergency key or handle to manually free her, the court was told.
“The injuries suffered were horrific and a doctor states she would have been rendered rapidly unconscious and death happening a short time afterwards,” Ms Lawson said.
The court heard Alexys’s parents, Matthew and Lorraine Brown, moved to the three-bedroom housing association property in 2009 because it already had a lift installed - a great help to their disabled son.
However, Ms Lawson said the equipment had regularly been faulty and the family experienced probelms with buttons not working and doors failing to open.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought charges against landlord Synergy Housing Ltd and Orona Ltd, which was contracted by Synergy to service the lift every six months and carry out maintenance.
Ms Lawson outlined a series of failings with the equipment, including the absence of a key to electronically lower it in an emergency or a handle to manually move it.
“In short, the catalogue of failings and the lack of checks by the defendant companies led to the death of Alexys Brown,” the prosecutor said.
An annual examination of the device was last carried out in 2012, when Synergy told its insurance company the lift had been removed. There had also been confusion as to whether the family had a lift or a stairlift installed at their home.
Orona had twice quoted Synergy a price to replace the lift, but the housing association never approved the work, saying it was exploring a ground-floor extension to the property.
At a previous hearing, both companies pleaded guilty to a single charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
A sentencing hearing is due to take place on Tuesday.
Additional reporting by PA