Aberdeen Market operators fined over 2018 death of pensioner

The Market Village Company has been fined £80,000 over the death of 80-year-old Frank Finnie in June 2018.

Frank Finnie
Author: Lewis MichiePublished 27th Jul 2020
Last updated 27th Jul 2020

The operator of Aberdeen Market has been fined £80,000 over the death of an 80-year-old man on the site two years ago.

Mr Finnie was reported missing by care workers at his sheltered housing accommodation on June 8th before being discovered in the shopping unit the following day by a Police officer.

Frank Finnie was found at the bottom of a fire escape stairwell in June 2018, with an investigation finding lighting in the stairwell was not properly maintained by Market Village Company LTD.

The company pleaded guilty.

Alistair Duncan, head of the Crown Office's health and safety investigation unit, said the incident was "entirely foreseeable."

He said: "The family of Frank Finnie must live with the consequences of the company's failings.

"While Market Village has taken effective steps to remedy the deficiency in the maintenance of the fire escape stairwell, this conviction and sentence should serve as a reminder to other companies to adhere to the regulations and that failure to do so can have tragic consequences."