Man jailed after killing colleague by driving over him twice

A man who killed a work colleague by twice driving over him in a telehandler at a biomass facility has been handed a sentence of three years and four months.

Ian McCollum, aged 52, was delivering a load to the McKinstry Biomass plant in Carnbane Industrial Estate in Newry in January 2022, when he died as a result of what the judge said was a "catastrophic error of judgement".

The man driving that machine was 53-year-old Walter Manley of Loanda Crescent in the city.

In May of this year Manley pleaded guilty to manslaughter and being an employee in breach of duty to others.

On Wednesday, he was was sentenced to three years and four months for manslaughter, and to 12 months for breach of health and safety legislation, to be served concurrently.

Half will be served in custody and half will be served on licence.

Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing

The court heard he had been moving materials in the telehandler with a loading bucket obscuring his view.

He drove over McCollum who was emptying a load from his lorry.

Manley thought he had driven over a piece of wood but did not check the vehicle's mirrors or cameras before reversing over McCollum a second time.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Paul Ramsey said Manley was "driving blind and showed disregard for risk" in what he viewed as a "difficult and heart breaking case" that led to the "monumental tragedy of the loss of a husband and father".

McKinstry Biomass Ltd had pleaded guilty to a number of health and safety related offences in November 2025. They received a fine of £120,000.

In delivering sentence, Judge Ramsey acknowledged that this could do little to "ease the grief of the family".

This case had received an exemption during the recent barristers' strike after McCollum's widow Kathryn told of how the family was at 'breaking point' due to delays.

Ian's son Aaron said he believed that his father's death was "entirely avoidable and preventable".

"My dad lost his life on 24 January 2022 through absolutely no fault of his own. What happened to my dad was not a freak accident," he said.

"I feel that this has been recognised with the seriousness of this sentence.

"The loss of my dad, in such circumstances, and the strain of the legal process over the last four-and-a-half years have been the most horrendous experience of my life.

"My dad was generous, thoughtful, and caring."

Kathryn McCollum, Ian McCollum's widow, said: "Our anger is with the company who put on that front of family company and family values - they even said last week Ian was welcomed in to the McKinstry family.

"To use the word family and then totally just disregard us and drop us is really, really hard to take."

She added: "I suppose we were so focused on getting today and getting to the end of it, hopefully that will bring us some kind of conclusion that we can maybe put this part behind us and try to look forward and really begin the part of grieving now and remembering Ian how we want to remember him."

Michael McDaid, from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), said his thoughts were with McCollum's family.

He said this case shows the "crucial importance of adhering to health and safety law - and shows that we will prosecute those who breach it".

"Workers have a right to work in a safe environment. Safety should be the top priority for all employers," the senior prosecutor added in a statement.

"When employers fall short, we will work with our enforcement partners to build a robust case and prosecute alleged health and safety offences, where the test for prosecution is met."