Roofing boss fined £15,000 after 'adored' worker fell to his death

An employer has been fined more than £15,000 after a roofer fell to his death in Aberdeenshire.

Matthew Ryan, 33, died from his injuries after he fell from a roof edge at a property in St Cyrus in 2024. He had been removing a skylight.

Andrew Kenyon, 40, trading as Stonehaven Roofing Services, admitted health and safety failings at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. He was fined £14,000, plus a victim surcharge of £1,050.

Ryan's widow Nicola Pert, who had been with him for 12 years and married for five years, said: "His loss is something I don't think I'll ever fully come to terms with."

The accident happened on 13 March 2024, in Mercury Terrace in St Cyrus.

It was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which led to Thursday's court prosecution.

Pert paid tribute to her husband after the conviction.

In a statement, released via law firm Digby Brown, she said: "Matt and I spent nearly half our lives together as partners and best friends.

"He was hard-working, funny, reliable and a motoring enthusiast and I'll miss travelling with him all over the UK for random, fun days out - we really did everything together and I will sincerely cherish the memories of our time together.

"The manner of Matt's death was completely avoidable and robbed me and both our families of a future with a man we all utterly adored."

She added: "It would be wrong to say I am 'glad' about anything that has happened around this conviction because, to me, there's nothing to possibly be glad about.

"It is however right that justice is done and this early admission of guilt at least spares us additional unnecessary anguish."