A BILL, aimed at closing a legal loophole that prevented the prosecution of the owners of a care home where 14 residents died in a fire* in 2004, passed a major hurdle yesterday after approval by the House of Lords. The Partnership Prosecution Bill (Scotland) was introduced as a result of the collapse, in 2007, of the legal case after the fire at the Rosepark Care Home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, when a judge dismissed charges against owners Thomas and Anne Balmer and their son Alan over alleged fire safety breaches.
The failure to bring prosecution led to calls for a change in the law, which has now cleared the Lords. The bill is expected to be rubberstamped in the Commons in the next few months.
* The fire at Rosepark care home in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, broke out in a cupboard on 31 January 2004 and ripped through the building. 14 elderly residents died in the tragedy.