Lawyer seeks full report on bridge incident

Lawyer Rob Moodie wants the Government to produce a full copy of an Army report about a bridge that collapsed on the King Country farm of Keith and Margaret Berryman in 1994, killing a beekeeper.

The Crown Law Office claimed in court documents this year that the original of the report had been destroyed, but Dr Moodie said yesterday that portions of it had been filed away by National Archives.

Dr Moodie is acting for Keith Berryman, who lost the farm after being prosecuted by Occupational Safety and Health over the bridge collapse. The prosecution was withdrawn when it was established that the bridge did not belong to the Berrymans.

The couple, who were bankrupted by the proceedings, believe the report would help their claim for compensation.