THE mother of one of the rail workers killed by a runaway trailer at Tebay three years ago has said she is "disgusted" at an Appeal Court's decision to slash the sentence of a rail boss jailed for her son's manslaughter.
Christine Burgess, whose son Darren was one of four men killed in the February 2004 tragedy, said her family was serving a life sentence because of their loss.
Mark Connolly, 44, from Anglesey, North Wales, was jailed for nine years last March aft
er being convicted of four manslaughter charges and linked health safety offences.
ConvictionsThree appeal judges last week cut the sentence to seven years, but dismissed his appeal against the convictions.
"We would still have our loved ones if it wasn't for him," Mrs Burgess said.
"Seven years for four people's lives – where's the justice?
We certainly haven't had any." The court also upheld the manslaughter convictions of Connolly's accomplice, crane-operator, Roy Kennett, 29, of Maidstone, Kent, who was jailed for two years.
Darren, 30, of Carnforth, died along with Colin Buckley, 49, also of Carnforth, Chris Waters, 53, from Morecambe, and Gary Tindall, 46, of Tebay, who were all killed when a 20-tonne trailer careered out of a siding four miles up the line near Tebay, Cumbria, down one of the steepest bits of track in the country into the men.
