A waste disposal manager has been jailed for seven and a half years for the manslaughter of a worker who was killed in an industrial shredder.

Brian Timmins, who was operating the equipment, was sentenced over the death of David Willis, 29, who fell into the machine at Timmins Waste Services (TWS) in Wolverhampton.

Mr Willis, whose remains were never found, had worked at the site for about eight years before the incident on 15 September 2018.

His mother Caroline Willis told the BBC her life had been ruined and she would never forgive Timmins.

He was sentenced during a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday.

TWS, convicted of corporate manslaughter, was fined £400,000.

The court previously heard Timmins had been running the shredder when it stopped abruptly.

In an attempt to fix the problem, Timmins used a JCB grapple arm to hoist Mr Willis up to clear a blockage.

But the shredder, which compacted wood and commercial waste, should have been switched off while the task was being carried out. Instead it continued shredding.

A trial heard that when Mr Willis no longer appeared to be at the site, Timmins had looked around the yard, and inside the machine.

The jury was also told Timmins carried on operating the equipment, meaning waste covered up the worker’s remains.

The following day, Timmins returned to the site, the court heard, and helped workers load up 80 tonnes of waste before it was driven to a landfill site in Cannock.

Police believe Mr Willis’s remains were among that material.

He was reported missing by his mother on the day of the incident, and was considered missing for two days before his coat was found near the shredder, suggesting he may have come to harm.

CCTV later revealed him going into the shredder and failing to emerge.

At trial, the jury failed to reach a decision on a charge faced by Timmins of perverting the course of justice.

Family ‘wrecked’
Mrs Willis told the BBC the incident had “wrecked” her family.

She described her son as a kind-hearted man who “lived life to the full” and “would do anything for anybody if he could”.

She said he had so many plans and never got to live them.

“Birthdays and Christmas mean nothing now,” she explained.

“I have to put on a smile for my grandchildren but I don’t feel anything.”