Judge John Strettell of the Christchurch District Court ordered the Lyttelton Port Company to pay around $130,000 as compensation for an accident on a scissor lift that killed a port last year.

Brad Fletcher, an employee of the port company died in August last year while he was working on the scissor-lift which toppled over.

The Lyttelton Port Company has to pay $63,000 as fine and $75,000 as reparation to the victim's family for failing to guard the safety of its employee.

Mr. Fletcher who was forty is survived by his wife Anita Fletcher and sons, Kadin, Cody and Zavian. He was the third person in two years who died while working at the port.

While passing the sentence Judge John Strettell said that the existing problem of the lift was identified by the employees but they were not escalated to the management. He also said that since the accident, the gap in communication has also been rectified by the port.

During the sentencing, many emotional statements were read out with, Anita Fletcher and the victim's mother. Mrs. Fletcher told the court about her depression phase and criticized the company for its negligence and said that more watchful attitude could have prevented the accident from happening.