A TRAVELLING showman told a court yesterday how his fairground ride had been given a clean bill of health just months before three teenagers were injured in an accident.

Gilbert Findlay Jnr, 34, who has denied failing to discharge a duty to ensure the safety of users of his Ultimate Buzz ride under Health and Safety Regulations, was giving evidence at Teesside Crown Court.

Tony Hawks, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), told the jury earlier how three youngsters, Stacey Moorhead, David Mole and Paul Wilkinson, were lucky not to have been killed after they were thrown ten metres into the air when a fairground car at Hartlepool Headland broke free from its mountings at top speed.

The court was also told how an HSE investigation found that most of the cars were attached to the ride with fixings that had undergone a series of makeshift repairs

A second man, ride inspector Brian Black, 54, of West Lothian, Scotland, has pleaded guilty to the same charge and will be sentenced later this week.

Mr Findlay, from Glasgow, told the jury how he had bought the fairground ride for £44,000 in 1998 from a former owner in Belgium.

A long-standing member of the Showmen's Guild, Mr Findlay described how he had transported the ride to Scotland and once it was re-erected had called in Mr Black to inspect the equipment.

He said that later he had himself made some suggestions for improvement to the machinery to Mr Black and once they were completed had been issued with a safety certificate.

In reply to questions by defence counsel Simon Antrobus, Mr Findlay said he had kept a daily log book of maintenance records on the ride and had on one occasion reinforced one of the cars with new metal boltings and purchased further metal plates in case other cars needed work.

Under cross-examination, Mr Findlay said because he had been issued with a safety certificate he believed the ride was safe.

The trial continues.