Safety charges withdrawn after conviction

The bridge swinging operator who caused the death of a Massey University student has avoided any further penalties.

The Department of Labour yesterday dropped health and safety charges against Alistair Ross McWhannell at the Palmerston North District Court because he'd already been punished enough.

"The reason we withdrew the charges is because he was convicted for criminal charges and he's been held accountable for his actions," department spokesman Eric Janse Van Rensburg said outside of court.

He said that was the normal course of action for the department, which reviews charges once criminal proceedings have finished.

"You can't be convicted twice for the same offence," Mr Janse van Rensburg said.

McWhannell's company Crag Adventures Limited, which operated the Bridge Swinging activity in the Manawatu Gorge, was charged with breaching the Health and Safety Employment Act 1992.

McWhannell, 48, was also charged with breaching section 50 of the act, which carries a maximum penalty of $250,000.

Christchurch-born veterinary first-year student Catherine Peters plummeted 20 metres to her death while bridge-swinging in the Manawatu Gorge with fellow Massey University students in early 2009.

The 18-year-old's rope was not tied to the bridge. A jury convicted McWhannell of manslaughter and he was sentenced by Justice Ronald Young at the High Court in Palmerston North in July to 400 hours' community work.

- © Fairfax NZ News