A WEALTHY couple are in court over the death of a gardener who fell from a quadbike while spraying weeds at their mansion.
Defence chief Nicholas Prest, 71, and his wife Anthea, 70, are each accused of two charges under the Health and Safety at Work act in relation to the death.
Defence chief Nicholas Prest, 71, and his wife Anthea, 70, appeared in court[/caption]
Paul Marsden, 47, died while sprucing up the grounds of the £2.5million mansion[/caption]
Mr Prest previously worked for the MoD[/caption]
Anthea and her husband were given unconditional bail[/caption]
Self-employed Paul Marsden, 47, died while sprucing up the grounds of the £2.5million mansion in April 2020.
The defendants do not face charges of manslaughter.
An inquest previously heard Mr Marsden was was found dead under the “all terrain vehicle” by another worker and a post mortem examination revealed he had died of asphyxia.
Former Ministry of Defence official Mr Prest and his mother-of-three wife are accused over charges of failing to check workers had protective equipment and that the quad bike was safe to use.
The couple appeared together in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday in a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive where they spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth, and address.
They also spoke to plead not guilty to both charges during the brief hearing and will stand trial next October.
One charge states the Prests didn’t check that persons including Mr Marsden “were exposed to risks arising from the failure to provide suitable and sufficient training, plant and personal protective equipment when using all-terrain vehicles”.
The other charge states the couple: “Failed to take such measures as it was reasonable for you to take to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that plants provided for use, namely that an all terrain vehicle, was safe and without risk to non-employees, namely Paul Marsden, for use on the premises.”
Mr Prest previously worked for the MoD before setting up his own companies and is now the chairman of defence technology giant Cohort.
He lives with Mrs Prest at the sprawling countryside house close to the village of Llandogo, in Monmouthshire which overlooks the River Wye and across into the Forest of Dean.
The couple have previously hosted a number of garden parties at the Pilstone House home as charity fundraising events for causes such as the NHS and the Ukraine.
The Prests, of Llandogo, were handed unconditional bail.
Mr Marsden’s brother Gary and father John followed the proceedings on video link after judge Euguene Egan granted them permission to attend remotely.
The defendants do not face charges of manslaughter[/caption]
