TWO men pleaded guilty to manslaughter and breaching health and safety laws after a 15-year-old labourer was crushed to death by a wall in Hadley Wood.

Builder Colin Holtom, 64, of Latchingdon, Essex, who traded as Maldon Groundworks, and contractor Darren Fowler, 47, pleaded guilty today at the Old Bailey following the death of Adam Gosling.

Fowler, from Upminster, had previously pleaded guilty to working while disqualified from being a company manager and failing to abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Adam was killed when the wall collapsed at a house in Broadgates Avenue at around 11.30am on April 23.He had been working as a casual labourer and became trapped underneath the wall while it was in the process of being demolished.

Police, paramedics, air ambulance and fire services were called. They managed to free the teenager, but he was confirmed dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination held at Hornsey mortuary on April 25 gave cause of death as head injuries and a fractured skull.

Detective Inspector Pete Basnett, of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: "Today's convictions should serve as a clear warning that health and safety laws are there for a reason and ignoring them can have tragic consequences.

"Holtom left two inexperienced young workers working at a wall already deemed to be dangerous, without supervising them or giving proper instructions on how the work was to be carried out.

"What makes this case particularly tragic is that Adam's brother witnessed his death first-hand. My thoughts go out to him and the rest of his family, who have been left devastated by what happened."

Simon Hester, investigating inspector from the Health and Safety Executive, said: “The management and set-up of this small construction project was appalling.

"Adam Gosling should never have been there at all as 15-year-olds have been banned from working on construction sites since 1920.

"There was a complete disregard for basic health and safety requirements – inadequate personal protective equipment, no risk assessments, no training and minimal supervision.

"We know there are many other sites with serious shortcomings, but it is the duty of the contactors and employers to ensure that basic health and safety requirements are followed.”

The men will both be sentenced on July 20.