Construction manager jailed.

A construction manager has been jailed over the death of a lawyer who was crushed by falling windows.

Solicitor, Amanda Telfer, 43, a freelance intellectual property and media lawyer, died when three frames fell on her as she walked past a building site in London in August 2012.

The frames, which weighed 1,444lb (655kg),  had been left unprotected and unrestrained against a wall in Hanover Square, Mayfair.

Site supervisor Kelvin Adsett, of IS Europe Limited, Slough, was jailed for a year after being convicted of gross negligence manslaughter.

An Old Bailey jury previously found Adsett, 64, guilty of manslaughter and breaching health and safety regulations.

Judge Peter Rook QC told him: "Your actions contributed to the wholly needless and untimely death of Amanda Telfer."

He added Adsett, of Slough, Berkshire, had shown reckless disregard for a life-threatening situation.

In his defence, Adsett's barrister said his client’s life had been destroyed as the result of an aberration of carelessness.

Westgreen Construction Limited site manager, Damian Lakin-Hall, 50, of Cobham, Surrey, was also sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for failing to take reasonable care of safety while at work.

The court heard how the window frames had been left leaning against a wall after being delivered the previous day.

The prosecution said it was obvious they carried a "clear and serious risk of death" to anyone walking past. Another member of the public had almost been hit in a near miss just days before.

Prosecutor, Duncan Atkinson QC, said there were straightforward steps which could have been taken to avoid the risk.

Adsett's firm, IS Europe Limited, was found guilty of two health and safety breaches.

The court heard the Slough-based company was now dormant with only £250 in the bank. The judge said: "There would have been a fine of £100,000. However, given ISE's limited assets, the only fine I can order is £250."

Graham Partridge, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "If Kelvin Adsett, Damian Lakin-Hall and IS Europe had complied with their legal responsibilities, Amanda Telfer would not have died."