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Pair in court over mother's death after electrocution at flat

Two men have appeared in court charged with failings in relation to the death of young mother Emma Shaw, who died after being electrocuted at her flat.

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Former Asda worker Miss Shaw, aged 22, was electrocuted while mopping up water from a leaky boiler in her West Bromwich home on December 14, 2007.

Workers Christopher Tomkins, aged 51, of Rowley Village, Rowley Regis, and Neil Hoult, 50, of Dane Terrace in Rowley Regis, are each accused of one count of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Summarising the details at Sandwell Magistrates Court yesterday, prosecutor Mr Roger Blezard said: "Sadly there is a tragedy at the root of this case.

Emma Shaw who was electrocuted

"In 2007 a young woman was fatally electrocuted as a result of the failure of the persons who did the electrical checking of a relatively new property."

Mr Blezard said the pair had allowed a situation to occur where 'the new build flat had live components close to an immersion heater and when flooding took place two years later, the young woman tried to turn the stopcock off and died at the scene'.

Tomkins, who wore a grey suit and blue striped tie to the hearing, is accused of failings to carry out an insulation resistance test, entering incorrect readings and details and ticking a box to indicate the presence of an RCD when the device was not present.

Hoult, who wore a shirt and leather jacket, is accused of failing to supervise standard of the electrical work and failing to take reasonable care for the proper recording of results. Both spoke only to confirm their names at the hearing. They made no indication as to their plea.

The case was adjourned and both men were given bail. They are due to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court in August.

An inquest jury decided Miss Shaw, of Jefferson Place in Grafton Road, had been unlawfully killed.

Miss Shaw left a young son, Brayden, who is being brought up by her former boyfriend Andrew Cross.

He was found in the living room, unharmed, after the incident when he was just one year old.

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