FINES for an asbestos removal company found guilty of health and safety breaches over the death of an Abertillery man may appear "superficially insulting" a judge has admitted.

But the firm - Caswell Environmental Services - has gone into liquidation since Jamie Paul was electrocuted while working at Cwmcarn High School in July 2013.

And District Judge Martin Brown said the level of fines "must clearly reflect that the company no longer exists and has no profit from which the court can extract punishment."

He found the firm guilty of two charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HES) under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, fined it £5,000 on each, and ordered it to pay £1,000 costs.

But he stressed that the range of fines for such offences involving a firm still in operation, would be £170,000-£1 million.

"The entire purpose of sentencing, namely to reflect culpability and responsibility in a health and safety case, has little or no impact when the company itself no longer operates," said District Judge Brown.

"Had I been dealing with a company continuing to operate with the sort of profit margins exhibited in (Caswell Environmental Services') previous accounts, this court would have been looking at a fine certainly in excess of £200,000.

"But no purpose can be achieved by imposing such a fine - indeed the approach to sentencing is now academic."

He recognised that the fines may never be recovered, but hoped he had made it "abundantly plain that my comments should send at least a signal to those affected catastrophically by the death of Mr Paul that the fine represents what the court can and must do here."

The case, heard at Newport magistrates' court, was not contested as liquidators for Caswell Environmental Services believed it was not in their interest, acting on creditors' behalf, to incur more costs.

Prosecutor Michael Veal instead sought prove the HSE's case on both charges, District Judge Brown subsequently declaring he was satisfied the standard and burden of proof had been met.

Mr Paul died on July 19 2013, whilst preparing asbestos for removal from ceiling voids at Cwmcarn.

Mr Veal said the HSE had been unable to consider starting a prosecution until an inquest was completed. In June, almost three years after Mr Paul died, a verdict of accidental death was recorded.

The firm - Caerphilly council's principal contractor for an asbestos removal project at the school - carried out a risk assessment that recommended electrical isolation. It was to "ensure all supplies were dead, and to use an independent power supply," said Mr Veal.

"The issue is that the electricity was not isolated."

The firm however, claimed not all the electricity could be switched off, as systems such as fire alarms had to be left on. The council, said Mr Veal, indicated "that was never the case and if Caswell went to them they would have permitted it."

"An HSE inspection report concluded it would have been reasonably practical for Caswell to arrange for testing and isolation of electrical cables in ceiling void, and even if that was not possible, the main supply to the school could have been isolated."

District Judge Brown called it "an extremely tragic case."

"The death of Mr Paul has been cataclysmic and his family has suffered enormously," he said.