5 Oct 2009

Charges to be withdrawn against two coolstore directors

11:32 am on 5 October 2009

Charges laid against two directors of a Waikato coolstore after a fatal explosion in April last year, will be withdrawn later in the year when the company is sentenced.

Another director, Wayne Grattan, still faces a charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act: he has pleaded guilty.

Originally, the three directors pleaded not guilty to one charge each.

The case was called again in the Hamilton District Court on Monday morning.

The explosion at the Tamahere coolstore in April last year killed one fireman and injured seven others.

The company, Icepak, previously pleaded guilty on 9 May to three charges, as has another company, Mobile Refrigeration.

Charges against Icepak directors, Jan Van Eden and Iain Slight, will be withdrawn at the sentencing of the company in December.