Georgia Varley trial jury begins deliberations

Nov 14 2012

A JURY has begun deliberations in the trial of railway guard Christopher McGee accused of causing the death of teenager Georgia Varley who fell under a train in Liverpool.

Georgia, 16, died in October last year after falling between a train and the platform at James Street station.

The sixth-form college student was drunk and had been leaning on the side of the carriage when the train began to depart, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Guard Christopher McGee, 45, who gave the signal for the Merseyrail train to set off, denies manslaughter and failing to take reasonable care contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Georgia, from Moreton, Wirral, had gone into Liverpool for a night out with her friends when the tragedy happened on Saturday October 22 last year.

A blood analysis following her death showed she had 236mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in her system - the legal driving limit is 80mg.

She also had 0.083mg of the drug mephedrone, or Mcat, in her system at the time of her death.

The jury has been shown shocking CCTV footage of the teenager’s death. The footage showed Georgia mistakenly getting off the train just before 11.30pm, and then turning around and leaning against the side as she realised her friends were still on board.

The Birkenhead Sixth Form College student was then seen to stagger and fall down the gap as the train moved off, before stopping after travelling around 30ft.

Giving evidence to his trial, McGee, of Edenhurst Avenue, Wallasey, Wirral, said he believed Georgia was moving away from the train when he gave the signal for the driver to depart.

McGee told the court he did not know how drunk Georgia had been. He said: "If I had known she was drunk I would have got her friends to look after her, but I didn’t know."