A MAN whose "cavalier attitude" to safety caused the death of a friend he had employed to dive for lost golf balls, has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Dale Pike, of Boss Golf Balls, had already pleaded guilty to the manslaughter by gross negligence of 29-year-old father-of-one Gareth Pugh, who died whilst diving in a lake at the Peterstone Lakes course, near Newport, in February last year.

Sentencing Pike - who will be 26 tomorrow - at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Keith Thomas told him he had ignored the risks and the advice he had received in relation to diving for golf balls in course lakes "because it would eat into your profits."

"You sent him (Mr Pugh) in with inadequate equipment, a complete lack of training, and only you as incapacitated back-up (Pike had an arm in plaster at the time)," said Judge Thomas.

"You allowed him to take these risks to make a quick buck."

There had been 16 breaches of health and safety regulations, and Judge Thomas added: "I am satisfied that the risk of death or serious injury was obvious to you, and your cavalier attitude to safety was the cause of Mr Pugh's death."

The court heard how Pike had agreed to pay Gareth to retrieve balls from the lake but the measures in place to ensure his safety were inadequate.

Iwan Jenkins from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Dale Pike stood by and watched as Gareth entered the water knowing that safety regulations were being breached. His deceit and callousness resulted in Gareth losing his life.

“There was clear evidence Pike had made enquiries with legitimate dive operators to cost this activity but he chose not to use them, instead falsely claiming to the golf club that he was a qualified commercial diver with his own equipment.

“Our thoughts are with Gareth’s family and friends and we thank them for their support throughout the legal process.”

GARETH Pugh, who was 29 when he died, was employed by Boss Golf Balls, a company owned by Dale Pike which retrieved golf balls lost underwater before cleaning and selling them online, and was paid between £20 and £40 a day.

On the day in question Mr Pugh, a father-of-one, was diving for the first time. Pike was the only other person present, despite the Diving At Work regulations 1997 stating a commercial dive team of around five people is needed for at the cost of around £1,250 a day. Police have said Pike was aware of the regulations, but decided not to abide by them.

Pugh had been underwater for around 70 minutes when Pike realised he could no longer see a steam of air bubbles on the surface and called the emergency services.

A South Wales Fire and Rescue Fire Service diving team spent some time searching for him underwater, and eventually found him. He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation found Pike had no written plan of how the work had been carried out, there was no maintenance system of the breathing apparatus Pugh was provided with and it was not inspected before he went underwater. The equipment was also found not to meet standards, while Mr Pugh had no diving qualifications. Pike also had no qualifications or training.

Police have also said there is no question of Peterstone Lakes Golf Club in Wentlooge being culpable in his death.

Both Pike and Mr Pugh lived in Glynneath, near Swansea, and had known each other for a number of years.