// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Firm fined £1m after man killed by window that fell from luxury penthouse
Mick Ferris was a coach driver for Clarkes of London, and had been returning to his coach when the window pane fell
A property developer has been fined £1m after a window fell from a luxury riverside penthouse in south London and killed a coach driver.
Mick Ferris, 53, was crushed when the pane of glass weighing 130kg (20 stone) fell 26 storeys from The Corniche in Vauxhall on 2 October 2018.
His wife Rachel Ferris told the sentencing hearing at Inner London Crown Court that her husband's death "could have been prevented", after it emerged that a window fell from the same development in August 2017, but the design was not substantially changed as a result.
Mitigating for the developer St James Group Ltd, Prashant Popat KC said his client was "deeply remorseful and regretful".
Luxury flats at The Corniche, on Albert Embankment, have previously been listed for sale at £3m
The father-of-two was hit by the falling glass as he returned to his coach on central London's Albert Embankment that morning.
Specialist façade contractor Lindner Prater was also fined £300,000, after it and St James were found guilty of ignoring "foreseeable risks".
Luxury architecture firm Foster + Partners and engineering consultants Wintech Ltd were cleared of the same charge.
Judge Boyle said St James should have been more robust in "ensuring the critical safety component" of the window was "present and engaged".