A Newcastle (England) man is battling for one of the UK’s largest ever asbestos-related payouts, reports the Evening Chronicle. Raymond Thomas Shanks, age 59, is suing shipbuilder Swan Hunter for £800,000 in damages after discovering he has mesothelioma. Shanks, at time of diagnosis in late 2005, was given about 18 months to live.

Shanks, who worked as an electrician’s apprentice at Swan Hunter from 1963 until 1969 most recently worked as a construction boss but was forced to quit his job as he was no longer healthy enough to continue. Shanks moved to Australia in 1983 and back to England a few years ago and has been caring for his daughter-in-law and grandchildren since his son died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2003. He had hoped to keep supporting them until his retirement at 65 years old.

“I wanted to carry on working, save some money and fulfill my promise to my son, but all that changed in 2005,” said Shanks. “That’s what I’m fighting for. It’s not just about the money; it’s about my daughter-in-law and my two grandchildren.”

If he wins the amount he is seeking, it will be one of the highest awards ever made in an asbestos case in the UK, points out the article. Currently, the company has admitted liability but disputes the amount of the claim.

In his written argument to the court, solicitor Matthias Kelly said: “There is an abundance of evidence that he would have been able to continue actively in his role well beyond his 65th birthday.”

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