Tahnie Martin: Maintenance failings blamed for Storm Doris death in Wolverhampton
The wooden panel from a water tank which killed Tahnie Martin during Storm Doris was rotten after not being painted for almost 20 years, a judge heard.
And the man in charge of maintenance claimed to have not known the rooftop building existed, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
The 29-year-old victim from Stafford, who worked at the University of Wolverhampton, died after being hit by the 4ft 2ins by 5ft piece of wood after it was blown from the six-storey Black Rock Building, part of Wolverhampton's Mander Shopping Centre.
Ms Martin was walking past Starbucks in Dudley Street in the city centre when tragedy struck on February 23 2017.
Her friend Mrs Raman Sarpal, who was also knocked to the ground, escaped with a deep laceration to the thigh and badly bruised knees but is still suffering from the aftermath of the catastrophic disaster which happened while nearly 90 people were in the vicinity.
The fixings attaching the wooden panel to the brick water tower were obviously rotten and corroded, said Mr Bernard Thorogood, prosecuting for Wolverhampton Council, who continued: "The solution was normal attention to decoration.
"The rot was either not noticed or not taken on board but the work needed to upkeep was not happening."
50 recommendations for urgent action
Tests indicated the panel had not been painted since 1998 when this should have happened every three or five years, continued the prosecutor.
Phil Dutton, the maintenance manager later admitted: "I had assumed the flat roof had no structure on it. My attention had not been drawn to it."
A maintenance survey after Ms Martin's death made 50 recommendations for urgent action.
The 59mph wind that dislodged the panel was "very far" from the worst winter storms which are expected to hit Wolverhampton every two years, maintained Mr Thorogood.
Cushman and Wakefield Debenham Tie Leung Ltd, who had been managing agent for the Mander Centre since 2011 but did not have responsibility for the Black Rock building until September 2012, admitted failing to ensure the general public's safety.
The prosecutor concluded: "The defendant fell far short of the expected standard of maintenance. This was a serious, possibly systematic, failure. The events of that day have had a huge impact on many lives."
Mrs Sarpal asked in her victim impact statement: "How can people not be safe in this public space?"
Mrs Eleanor Sanderson, defending, declared: "The company believed it had robust, effective and compliant systems."
It relied on reports that made no mention of the water tank and she added: "The systems were in place but not sufficiently adhered to as a result of the role of Mr Dutton and matters not being brought to their attention."
The company is due to be sentenced this afternoon.
