Judge tells Christopher McGee: Georgia Varley paid with her life for your actions

Nov 16 2012 Gary Stewart

A TRAIN guard whose gross negligence led to the death of 16-year-old Georgia Varley at James Street station was jailed for five years.

Christopher McGee, who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was told he had shown “appalling disregard” for the schoolgirl’s safety.

He greeted the news impassively from the dock.

McGee, who had more than 20 years’ experience working for Merseyrail, was told he had a “duty of care” for the passengers on the rowdy last train from West Kirby into Liverpool at 11.30pm on a Saturday night last October.

During his eight-day trial, he was accused of signalling the train to move on while he knew Georgia was drunkenly leaning on it. It caused her to fall between the train and platform where she was killed instantly.

Jurors took just a few hours to find him guilty of her manslaughter.

The court heard that McGee, of Edenhurst Avenue, Wallasey, had no previous convictions although he had been cautioned for growing nine cannabis plants in his home in 2010.

Mr Justice Holroyde told McGee: “You have been convicted by the jury of the manslaughter of Georgia Varley.

“Her life was ended in a dreadful way at the age of just 16 by your gross negligence.

“You did not intend to kill her or even to injure her, but you displayed an appalling disregard for her safety, and she paid for your criminal negligence with her life.

“It is important that everyone understands that this is not a case of murder, and that the level of sentence which is appropriate to murder is not appropriate to manslaughter.

“That is because murder involves an intention to kill or to cause really serious injury, whereas manslaughter does not.

“Nor is this a case in which you are likely to be a danger to others in the future, and so an extended or indeterminate sentence is not needed to protect the public.

“Nevertheless, your crime is plainly so serious that nothing less than a sentence of immediate imprisonment would be appropriate.”

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