The public prosecutor demanded six and three months’ suspended prison sentences for the manager and the safety coordinator respectively. Prosecutor Jinmin Arnou himself proposed suspension of sentence for the site manager and the crane operator. The construction company from Roeselare faces a fine of 60,000 euros.
The defense requested acquittal across the board. Master Pieter Coucke (lawyer of the site manager from Kortemark, ed.) explained that vibrating the sheet piles on that complex site was the only possible sheet piling technique. Like the other defendants, the site manager emphasized that he regretted the facts. The defense of the crane operator from Staden argued that an executive worker cannot be responsible for the decisions made. “Who else would dare to work on those yards in all weather conditions?” says master Elise Standaert. In addition, the lawyer also pointed out the difficulty of the works in a narrow street. “When his colleague smelled gas after three planks, he immediately followed the safety protocol.”
The court will make its ruling on January 12.