Magistrates in Pickering have heard conflicting evidence about the tools used to clean a field gun in the case of cannon accident man Martin Bibbings.

Bibbings's firm, the Trafalgar Gun Company, supplied cannon used in a Last Night Of The Proms event at Castle Howard on Saturday, August 22, last year.

Mary Dunnett, Bibbings sister, 49 of Norwich, was loading a cannon when it misfired, burning her face and blowing off three fingers on her right hand.

Bibbings, 45, of Felixstowe, Suffolk, has pleaded not guilty to failing to provide a safe place of work, not giving adequate information and training and failing to make suitable and sufficient risk assessments.

Bibbings told the court a risk assessment he had drawn up was for an earlier concert at a different venue, but later said that the equipment, setting and all other details were identical to the Castle Howard performance.

Brian Miller, from Surrey, a former Ammunition Technician in the Royal Ordnance Corps, spoke for the defence.

He outlined the importance of cleaning the barrel with a "wet swab" in between firing charges. Mr Miller told the court that it was possible the accident had occurred because the "venting" procedure, which created a vacuum to extinguish burning embers in the barrel and was done in conjunction with using the wet swab, had not been carried out correctly.

Under cross-examination by the prosecution, Mr Miller said Mrs Dunnett would have received the same injuries even if she had been wearing a leather gauntlet.

Ben Bibbings, 23, Martin Bibbings's son, also gave evidence.

He told the court he had several years experience operating cannon and confirmed that Mrs Dunnett had received training on how to use a cannon.

Ben Bibbings also said only two people were needed to operate a cannon safely.

Under cross examination he said a swab could be used in any gun with the same sized bore. Other witnesses, including Martin Bibbings himself, have said the opposite.

"They all adequately fit because the muzzle sizes are the same," said Ben Bibbings.

The case continues.

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