Artist Guilty Over Inflatable Sculpture Deaths

The jury will continue deliberating on Wednesday on two other counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

 A London artist who created a huge inflatable sculpture that killed two women after it broke its moorings and flew across a park was found guilty on Tuesday of breaking health and safety rules.

Claire Furmedge, 38, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, and Elizabeth Collings, 68, from Seaham, died when they fell from the artwork "Dreamspace" in July 2006.

At Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday the creator of the artwork Maurice Agis, 77, of Bow, east London, was convicted of one charge of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The jury will continue deliberating on Wednesday on two other counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The exhibit, which had been shown around the world, was half the size of a football pitch, five metres high, made out of plastic sheeting and had walls that changed colour as visitors wandered through its maze of corridors.

Up to 30 people were inside the walk-in sculpture when it took off. A gust of wind blew it nine metres above the park in Chester-le-Street.

In addition to the two fatalities, Rosie Wright, who was aged three at the time, was seriously injured.