Albie Speakman Death Mom Thought It Was Sick Joke at First

Albie Speakman’s mom thought it was a joke. Someone told her that her three-year-old son died. Albie died in July 2022. A farm machine hit him in Bury. His dad, Neil Speakman, operated the machine. A jury cleared Neil of gross negligence manslaughter.

Leah Bridge called Albie her “sunshine boy.” She spoke about Neil calling her and telling her to go to the hospital. Leah said it feels like yesterday and that she feels stuck in time. She wonders if Albie was scared because she wasn’t there.

Leah and Neil separated after Albie’s birth. The accident happened at a farmhouse on Bentley Hall Road, where Albie played with dogs nearby. Jurors learned this information during the trial.

Neil hadn’t had official training on the machine, which also had problems, like a missing mirror. Neil found Albie after reversing the machine. He then asked his partner to call an ambulance.

They stopped another ambulance on the way, and paramedics tried to save Albie. They couldn’t, and he died at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital that afternoon.

Leah met Neil at the farm around 9 a.m. Neil took Albie to run errands and they returned to the farm at 11:45 a.m. Neil then did chores, but they always talked in the car first.

Leah said they always said “bye” in the car. She drove to the end of the farm lane, where Neil picked Albie up. She remembers little about saying goodbye, and later, Neil called her crying.

He said something about Albie, and Leah knew something was wrong. He told her to go to the hospital and she asked if Albie was alive. Neil said Albie was dead, leading Leah to think it was a joke.

She and her mom thought it was a joke, repeating it as she drove to the hospital. However, police taped off the road, confirming that it was real.

Neil Speakman will be sentenced later. The charge involves a safety law violation, and he admitted guilt to breaking that law.