to hear a charge of corporate manslaughter against his company,
Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings.
The prosecution is the first to be brought under the new Corporate
Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act. Eaton, 60, also faces a
charge of gross negligence manslaughter, and both he and the company
are accused of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The charges relate to the death of 27-year-old Alexander Wright, a
junior geologist who was killed in September 2008 when he was buried
beneath several tonnes of mud as he collected soil samples in a
trench. It took rescue workers two days to recover his body.
No pleas were entered and Stroud magistrates referred the case to
Bristol Crown Court, where Eaton will appear on 23 June.
Eaton, who told the court his position in the company was "principal
or sole director", was granted unconditional bail.
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