EXETER City Council is to face a jury after denying that safety failings led to the death of an 80-year-old grandmother who fell off a ferry.
Dorothy Stevens, from Silverton, died in July 2010 after her walking stick broke as she was getting off the historic Butts Ferry at Exeter Quay.
The hand-pulled chair ferry on Exeter Quay is operated by Exeter City Council which is facing prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive over the death.
A trial date has been set for December 2 this year after the council's barrister Ian Dixey indicated they intend to plead not guilty to the charge when the case is heard at Exeter Crown Court. The council is accused of failing to conduct the ferry safely because they had not done everything reasonably practical to ensure the safety of those getting on and off.
Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, adjourned the case and set a timetable for the exchange of experts' reports from the prosecution and defence.