A dad who killed his three-year-old son when he ran him over with a defective tractor pumped his fists in court as he was found not guilty of manslaughter.

Neil Speakman, 39, reversed a telehandler into Albie Speakman in front of the family farmhouse in Walshaw, Greater Manchester, after he had left Albie to play with the family’s two pet dogs.

The trial heard Mr Speakman was interviewed by police and said Albie ‘knew not to go near anything’. He said: “He knew, he weren’t f****** stupid… it’s a farm isn’t it? It’s not a f****** playground and Albie knew it weren’t, he knew his boundaries. He knew where he could go and where he couldn’t go.”

An officer asked: “How did he know?” Mr Speakman replied: “Because you told him. You know he wasn’t a r****d.”

Albie would stay at the farm on alternate weekends, and was dropped off by his mum, Leah Bridge, on the morning of the tragedy in July (the couple had separated shortly after Albie was born).

After realising he had reversed into Albie, Mr Speakman ran into the house and asked his girlfriend to call an ambulance, the trial heard.

John Elvidge KC told jurors: “He said something like, ‘I caught him with the tractor, I got him. Mr Speakman had Albie in his arms and was in a state of panic.”

While driving to the hospital they flagged down a passing ambulance. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate the three-year-old, and he was pronounced dead that afternoon at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. A post mortem report showed that he had suffered ‘multiple crush injuries’ to his head, body and legs.

Giving evidence last week, Neil Speakman told jurors his son’s death was a ‘tragic accident’. Breaking down in tears, he said: “I shouldn’t have to do this, it’s f*****g not fair. I shouldn’t have left him in the garden, we all know that. I have not met the standard of care. Is it truly exceptionally bad, neglectful behaviour? No. I messed up, I made a mistake.”

He said that as the tractor had a missing wing mirror, he would ‘check profusely’ for blind spots, but said he didn’t see his son. He said: “I am always careful in what I do. He was my little boy.” Asked to describe what happened next, he said: “You felt a bump instantly. I had travelled 10cm, 20cm… I stopped instantly. It was a split second.”

“I looked right and saw his legs, and jumped off.” In cross examination, Mr Speakman said: “It was a tragic accident. I made a mistake.”

A health and safety probe found that the telehandler had various defects, aside from the missing wing mirror. Prosecutors told jurors at the Minshull Street Crown Court trial that Albie died as a result of his father’s negligence, which created a “serious and obvious risk of death.”

In the end, the jury must have felt really sorry for him, because they found Neil Speakman not guilty, clearing him of gross negligence manslaughter. As the verdict was read out, Neil pumped his fist in celebration, which might seem a bit crass, but I’m sure it was a massive relief for him.

It also transpired that in 2020, Neil Speakman was warned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the use of another piece of farm machinery with a lifting bucket attached. Speakman shared a video online where he was messing around with the machine, swinging his 17-year-old girlfriend around in the bucket (he was 34 at the time, fyi). Officials got wind of the video and sent a letter to Speakman warning him of the potentially fatal consequences. He claimed in court he never saw the letter.

I don’t want to go too hard on the guy because at the end of the day he’s lost his child and it must have been a very traumatic experience for him, but there’s something about the way he discussed the incident with police and then again in court that just rubs me up the wrong way. It’s almost as if he blames the child and refuses to admit to himself that they died a completely preventable death due to his negligence. He’s actually so lucky that he’s been cleared of manslaughter, all things considered.

So no, Albie wasn’t a “r*****”, as he so eloquently put it, but the fact his dad clearly is might have played a role in his death and the verdict. RIP little Albie.

For the vegan parents who starved their toddler to death by forcing him to eat a raw plant-based diet, click HERE.