A magistrate court has fined a school trust and has given a man a suspended sentence after a falling branch injured a woman and her dog.

In August 2022, Nicolas Thépot, a gardening services provider, was hired by Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust. He was tasked to fell two trees in the grounds of St Cuthberts Catholic High School, Newcastle upon Tyne.

On 9 August 2022, Thépot climbed one of the trees and began cutting branches and trunk sections with a chainsaw. He had tied ropes to the branches to control their fall, while an apprentice was responsible for pulling the debris within the school grounds.

However, one of the ropes snapped, causing it and the branch to fall onto Gillian Gardner and her dog.

In a statement, Gardner describes her injuries as leaving her unable to leave the house for several weeks.

She says: “It probably took about a year to totally recover.”

Untrained contractor risked safety by conducting aerial chainsaw work over public path

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Thépot lacked any arboriculture training or chainsaw qualifications.

The HSE reports that the school trust was also negligent in its hiring of Thépot, as it failed to check his experience or qualifications. It likewise did not verify how Thépot intended to carry out the work.

After the incident, the following day, Thépot continued working on the tree using the same method. The only change made was some cones and tape were placed on the pavement.

According to the HSE, the public were allowed to keep walking under the tree, oblivious to the present risk of Thépot operating a chainsaw above them.

The work only stopped when HSE inspectors served prohibition notices on both the trust and Thépot.

Following the court hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Garner comments:

“It is particularly concerning that, in this case, the work continued by the same method the very next day, even after a member of the public was injured.

“This prosecution demonstrates HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who put the public at risk through unsafe work methods.”

Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust pleaded guilty at Newcastle Upon Tyne Magistrates Court on 17 April 2025. It was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £4,344 in costs.

Thépot pleaded guilty at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on 7 May 2025. He received a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.