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Haulage firm boss guilty of East Yorkshire motorway crash deaths

Steve White Wreckage of a crashed lorry with debris on the motorwaySteve WhiteThe lorry was carrying a mobile home when it went through the central barrier on the M62 near Goole

A haulage firm boss has been convicted of manslaughter after one of his lorries with faulty brakes killed two men in a motorway crash.

Michael Holgate was accused of "cutting corners" on maintenance during his trial at Hull Crown Court.

Nigel Eley, 41 and John-Paul Cassidy, 37, from Manchester, died after the lorry lost control and smashed through the central barrier, hitting their car on the M62 near Goole in April 2018.

Holgate will be sentenced on 29 June.

The jury were told by prosecutor Andrew Thomas QC that the "collision happened because of a known fault in the braking system" and the culture of Holgate's business "was to save money by cutting corners on maintenance and repairs".

The HGV's driver Jack Beston, 24, admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing and will also be sentenced next week.

Sgt Rob Mazingham, from Humberside Police, said Beston knew that his brakes were not working.

"He had reported on numerous previous occasions that the brakes were faulty and yet, rather than pull his vehicle safely over and call for mechanical assistance, he continued his journey which ended in fatal consequences."

Police also discovered that Beston was not insured as the haulage firm's policy excluded drivers aged under 25.

Humberside Police Nigel Eley and John-Paul CassidyHumberside PoliceNigel Eley (L) and John-Paul Cassidy were driving to Hull from Manchester when their car was hit

Nigel Eley's wife said her family had been left devastated by "the despicable way in which Michael Holgate ran his business".

"Due to his actions, my beloved husband lost his life and my boys had their father and hero taken from them at the tender ages of 9 and 4 years old," she said.

"My hope is that this case prevents anyone else from being placed at the risk of such ignorance."

Holgate, 39, of Munstead Way, Brough, East Yorkshire, was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter through gross negligence and two counts of causing death whilst uninsured.

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