Roofer 'within a whisker' of losing liberty after Mount Murray fire

£89,000 of taxpayers' money has been spent securing a conviction against a roofer who caused a fire which had "catastrophic consequences" at Mount Murray. 

That's what a court was told yesterday as 65-year-old Santon man Roy Cross was sentenced - the Roofcraft boss was found guilty of three health and safety failings in November last year.

On November 7th 2013 Cross, and two of his Roofcraft employees, were working on the roof of the hotel when the blaze broke out after a blowtorch was used to try and dry flammable roof tiles. 

A jury found Cross had failed to ensure the safety of his employees, and other people on the site, as well as failing to alert the hotel work was being carried out. 

Addressing the court at yesterday's hearing Cross's advocate said the roofer of 40 years had been "under severe pressure" to get the work, for property owner Albert Gubay, done. 

He said Cross was left "haunted" by the fire - which caused between £15 and £17 million worth of damage - and had told his probation officer "the only regret is I survived". 

Sentencing Cross Deemster Main-Thompson described the fire as "calamitous" saying he'd failed to adopt a safe system of work for his employees, one of which was his son. 

He said whilst he accepted it was an incident "completely out of character" the risks undertaken "were entirely obvious". 

Ordering him to carry out 240 hours of community service and pay a "modest contribution" of £2,400 towards prosecution costs he told him "you've come within a whisker of losing your liberty".