Legal breakthrough that led to charges

After the failure of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster trial in 1990, which saw P&O's directors walk free, John Prescott promised Labour would bring in tougher laws.

Corporate manslaughter prosecutions have been possible since 1965, but while 31,000 people have died in commercially-related deaths since then, there have been only three successful prosecutions - all involving "one-man band" companies.

Large corporations have escaped because of the need to identify a single "controlling mind" - an individual director who knew all the facts and was grossly negligent.

Today the Home Office said it expected an announcement to publish a draft Bill in the autumn which will reform the law.