  Cotswold was charged with the criminal offence of corporate
manslaughter following the death of a 27 year old employee, a
junior geologist Alexander Wright, who was killed in September
2008 when the sides of the trench in which he had been
collecting soil samples collapsed and crushed him. Peter Eaton,
the director of Cotswold, was also personally charged with gross
negligence manslaughter and other health and safety offences but
was too ill to stand trial. Cotswold was a small company that
employed eight people in 2008 and Mr Eaton was in overall
control of the way the company managed its affairs.  The CPS
told the court that Mr Wright was left working alone in the 3.5
metre-deep trench to ‘finish-up’ when the company director left
for the day. The two people who owned the development plot
decided to stay at the site as they knew Mr Wright was working
alone in the trench. About 15 minutes later they heard a muffled
noise and then a shout for help despite the plot owners best
efforts Mr Wright died of traum