Asbestos-cancer roofer awarded £160,000 compensation

Published on Sun 5 Aug 2007

A former roofer has been awarded over £160,000 in compensation after contracting an asbestos-related cancer.

Jim Kingshott, 57, contracted mesothelioma - an asbestos-related cancer which affects the lungs - after being exposed to asbestos over a 20-year period in his job at Doric Co Ltd, based in Shoreham.

As a result, he is now unable to perform even basic household tasks and has been told he has only months to live.

Commenting on the outcome of the case, Mr Kingshott said, "Now I know my children will be looked after in the future and I can now pay to have the things done that I can no longer do."

News of the case follows a second reading in the House of Commons earlier this month for the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill, which is intended to fast-track compensation claims from sufferers of asbestos-related cancers.

Sufferers will also be able to claim an interim compensation payment while their case is ongoing.