A CRANE firm has been convicted of corporate manslaughter over the death of an operator at a wind farm in East Lancashire.

Bosses at Baldwins Crane Hire Ltd now face the prospect of an unlimited fine after being held responsible for the death of Lindsay Easton, 49, at Scout Moor wind farm in Edenfield.

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Mr Easton had even predicted that the poor maintenance record of the company was going to kill him before his 125-tonne crane careered down a zig-zag slope at the sprawling complex, Preston Crown Court heard.

Company chairman Richard Baldwin and managing director Wayne Baldwin had pleaded not guilty to the offence, and two health-and-safety charges, on the firm’s behalf. After a month-long trial, they were convicted of all three.

In a statement after the verdicts, Mr Easton’s family said: “We hope that this case has highlighted the need for regular and supervised maintenance of heavy cranes and that lessons can be learned by those in the crane industry.

“This is so that nobody else loses a loved one in the tragic and avoidable circumstances in which we did.”

Minutes before his death, Mr Easton, of Sowerby Bridge, had been on the phone to his partner Carol Robinson when he told her his crane’s brakes were not working properly.

Andrew Thomas QC, prosecuting, said: “The crane went out of control. Mr Easton managed to get around the first bend, swerving from one side to the other as he approached.

“The crane then seemed to gain more speed. The next bend was even tighter and there was no way Mr Easton was going to get round it.

“The crane carried straight on at the bend and crashed into an earth bank at the end of the escape road.”

Jurors heard that Mr Easton, who had quit Baldwins once over their safety record, died from multiple injuries.

Baldwins, a national firm with headquarters in Slough, Berkshire, will be sentenced on December 22.