Dad, 30, ‘crushed to death’ in bin at recycling plant after night out with friend

A DAD was found “crushed” to death at a recycling plant just hours after enjoying a night out with friends.

Adam Forrester is thought to have climbed inside a commercial waste bin in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, which was then emptied into a bin lorry.  

The 30-year-old had been partying with pals in Hanley, in September 2017, before disappearing from the nightclub.

His body was discovered in a pile of waste by a horrified refuse worker as it was being sorted.

His family are hoping to finally get answers four years after his death, with an inquest hearing that he had been staying at a hostel with his friend Andrew Lloyd.

Mr Lloyd told the inquest: “Before we went into a nightclub, we took off our jackets. We put them in a couple of bins. They were big ones that lift up.”

The pair had intended to collect their coats when they left, but it is not known if Mr Forrester fell into the bin while trying to reach his black jacket.

The inquest also heard the theory that the dad may have clambered inside the bin to hide from the rain.

Mr Lloyd explained that he last saw his friend in a nightclub, before he vanished and was unable to find him.

His final movements were caught on CCTV as he walked along the street at 3.26am just hours before his body was a discovered.

'NOTHING UNTOWARD'

It is thought that Mr Forrester went to another club after losing his friends in the town centre, the Stoke Sentinel reports.

Steve Fricker, a driver at H Brown and Son Recycling, told the inquest that he started his shift at 4am and emptied two bins near a nightclub on Trinity Street.

His route covered three collection points on the street Mr Forrester was last seen, and he emptied 102 bins in total into his vehicle before ending his route at Sneyd Hill Industrial estate.

Giving evidence Mr Fricker explained that he checked every bin before pushing the button and letting the contents fall into the hydraulic compaction.

He added that there was “nothing untoward” that he could see, and his checks included kicking each bin, lifting the lift to peer inside and looking through a viewing window in the truck.

North Staffordshire assistant coroner Margaret Jones asked: “Adam was 16 stone and 6ft tall. If he was in the bin and you had checked it, is it likely that you would have seen him?”

He confirmed that he would have seen the body had it been in the van, but Mr Forester’s family questioned if the bin lorry was too dirty to have seen through the window and mirrors.

'HAD TO LOOK TWICE'

Lawyers acting on behalf of the recycling company suggested that his body could have arrived in a different vehicle.

Carl Lightfoot made the horror discovery when using a grabber to sift through the rubbish, but did not see Mr Frickers lorry being emptied.

He told the inquest that he “had to look twice” after spotting the body, noticing arms and legs before alerting his boss to the gruesome discovery.

Mr Lightfoot admitted it was “possible” that the body could have arrived in a different container when asked.

The depot, in Burslem, is also accessed by contractors who “pre-sort” their waste before it is dumped in the top shed.

A post-mortem examination confirmed Mr Forrester died from multiple injuries.

Cocaine abuse, alcohol intoxication and an enlarged heart with an irregular heart rhythm were also found to have contributed to his death.

Forensic pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt said: “In my opinion, these are the sorts of injuries that may be seen in somebody who is squeezed by mechanical force within a confined space.”

The inquest continues.