Nicholas James Miles told the court: ‘I could see the quad bike turned over, and I was hoping he would be stood next to it… I was shouting for him’
15:16, 14 Oct 2025Updated 15:48, 14 Oct 2025
Nicholas Prest, 71, and his wife Anthea, 70, at an earlier hearing(Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
A man who was crushed to death by a quadbike was found unresponsive and “blue” in a field by his colleague, who had gone searching for him after he failed to take his break.
Nicholas Prest, 71, and his wife Anthea, 70, deny being to blame for the death of a groundsman at their luxury £2.5million mansion with 15 acres of land in Llandogo, Monmouthshire, in 2020. Paul Marsden was found dead in a field by his colleague Nicholas James Miles. An inquest previously heard how a mortem examination revealed he had died of asphyxia of the chest.
Mr Miles, who was also a self-employed gardener for the Prest family at the time, gave evidence to Newport Crown Court on October 14 as part of the ongoing trial. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here
Mr Miles told the court that when they were both scheduled to work on the same day, they would usually take their breaks together, and on the morning of his death, Mr Marsden had brought in cakes for everyone to share on their tea break.
Mr Miles, who worked for the Prest family since 2016 at both their manor house and at Glyn Farm, said that he was “getting more and more worried as time went on” when his colleague failed to turn up for the break.
He told the hearing that the last time he saw Mr Marsden alive was when he drove off in a quad bike to spray weed killer around the fields of Pilstone House.
The Prest’s countryside home in Monmouthshire(Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Mr Miles said: “When I arrived he was by the garage putting weed killer into the quad bike sprayer. The sprayer was already on there when I had got there.
“He seemed fine, like his normal self. He brought some cakes in for break time to share.
“The last time I saw him I could just hear the quad bike running.
“We usually had a mid morning break at around 11am, and we tried to have it together if he was there, but he did not join that day. I thought it was a bit strange but as he was doing a task I had never seen him do before, maybe it was taking longer than expected.
“I went back to work but by 11.55pm, I was really worried. I saw Anthea, and I said to her, ‘Paul hasn’t come for break’, and we agreed he had been waylaid.
“Then when I did not see him again at lunch, I was getting more and more worried as time went on.
“I went to look for him, this was at around 1.30pm, but I wasn’t sure where he was, I didn’t know which of the fields he was going to be in.
“I saw the quadbike at the top of the third field, on a steep bit. I could see the quad bike turned over, and I was hoping he would be stood next to it… I was shouting for him.
“Then I could see he was underneath it, he was pinned to the ground with one of his arms stretched out. As I got closer I could see he had started to go blue.”
Before calling for emergency services, Mr Miles called another one of the workers at Pilstone House, who alerted both the defendants.
Nicholas Prest and Nick Miles then helped transport the paramedics to Mr Marsden in a 4×4, with Mr Miles directing them to where he was.
In the trial opening on Monday, prosecutor Mr Puzey explained how by law, Mr and Mrs Prest “had a legal responsibility to ensure that the workers on their land were safe.” He outlined that as per the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Mr Marsden was employed by the couple to look after their business’ farmland, and so it was their duty to ensure all health and safety measures were taken before any work was carried out.
It is the defence’s view that Mr and Mrs Prest, who are being represented by Keith Morton KC, did not have this legal obligation, because Mr Marsden was a self-employed grounds contractor, working for them privately in a domestic capacity on their 15 acre Pilstone House, which has “nothing to do” with their partner business, Glyn Farm, and therefore he was working at his own risk.
None of the Prest’s employees were provided with training on how to use a quadbike prior to Mr Marsden’s death. After Mr Marsden’s death, the court heard Mr Prest organised and paid for all employees to receive proper training.
Mr Miles was one of those who received this training. He said he learned that quadbikes are to be “actively driven, as opposed to a car, where you just sit there, that is passively driven.”
He recalled being taught how to use your body weight when navigating uneven and steep terrain, and also being taught how to check tyre pressure sufficiently.
It was heard that Mr Miles could always say no to doing any work that he felt uncomfortable with.
Mr Morton KC gave an example from 2018 when the Prest’s were made aware of a gear problem on the quadbike in 2018. They sent it away promptly for a service and repairs.
Mr Prest had also highlighted a safety concern of his own in the past, when he saw Mr Miles using a strimmer without a guard.
Mr Morton highlighted some discrepancies between Mr Miles’ statements to the police in the days after Mr Marsden’s death, on April 27 and 28, 2020, and his answers in court.
When asked how he was feeling on the days when the police statements were taken, he said he was “traumatised after what had happened.”
Mr and Mrs Prest deny charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The trial continues.
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