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News Desk | News Story
3rd September 2007
Victor Paine died in September 2004, aged 75, after being exposed to dangerous asbestos dust. He believes he was exposed while building the factory in Clarendon Road, Worthing in the 1960s.
Victor was born in Worthing and brought up his family in the town before moving to Staines in Berkshire before he died.
He worked for Percy Bilton Ltd on a number of projects in the town, including building the Glaxo Smith Kline factory, which was owned by Beecham at the time.
He remembered working alongside boilers, which contained pipes covered in asbestos lagging.
Now, his five sons are searching for witnesses who may have worked alongside their dad while constructing the factory, so they can fight for compensation for their dad’s early death.
Kevin, 52, who now lives in Ayr said his dad was a fit and healthy man who enjoyed running marathons before he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May 2004.
The disease is a cancer of the lining of the lungs and more than 2,000 people every year are diagnosed. There is no cure for mesothelioma and many sufferers die just a few months after diagnosis.
Kevin said: "My dad was completely devastated when he was diagnosed because he had always been such a fit and active man. He took up running in his 40s and competed in the London Marathon every year. His marathon running took him to Paris, Australia and New York. He was very competitive and had dozens of medals. The last London Marathon he took part in was the year 2002.
"He was very shocked that he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and could barely speak about it. By this time, he could no longer ride his motorbike, he had lost a lot of weight and his incapacity was acute. He was almost house bound and could hardly walk the length of the house.
"We want justice for my dad’s death and would urge anyone who worked with him to help us. He worked in the construction industry all his life. He was hard working and loyal but in the end his job killed him."
The family’s lawyers Thompsons Solicitors want to hear from anyone who worked with Victor at Percy Bilton during the time when the factory was built. They would also be interested in talking to anyone who worked for other companies on constructing the factory or to any factory employees who were on site at the time of the building works.
Client representative at Thompsons Solicitors, Gill Connelly said: "It is important we build up a picture of Mr Paine’s time working at the Beecham factory so we can establish the details of where and when he was exposed to asbestos.
"We need the help of local people to secure justice for Mr Paine’s family. If anyone worked with Mr Paine or can recall working at the Beecham’s factory during its construction, I would be very grateful to hear from them."
Anyone who has any information should contact Gill Connelly on 0191 269 0453.
If you or someone you know has developed mesothelioma or any other asbestos related disease, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.
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