Scout leader bid to overturn inquest verdict fails

Ben Leonard fell to his death on a trip with Scouts

A senior judge has rejected an attempt to overturn an inquest verdict of unlawful killing on a teenager who died while on a Scouts trip.

Ben Leonard, 16, died when he fell 200ft (60m) at Great Orme in Llandudno, North Wales while on a trip with the Reddish Explorer Scouts from Stockport, Greater Manchester, on 26 August 2018.

The trip's leader and his assistant, who were found responsible for unlawful killing at a jury inquest, have lost their High Court challenge against the verdict.

Ben's mother, Jackie Leonard said his family "are just relieved it is now over and the judicial review failed".

Ben and two friends took a different path from other Scouts, unsupervised by any leaders, who had "lost" the trio on the Orme.

He ended up on a 50cm (19 inch) ledge, which was an animal track, when he lost his footing, slipped and fell to his death.

Last year a jury found Ben was unlawfully killed by the most senior Scout leader on the trip, and his assistant, and this was contributed to by neglect by The Scout Association, after a two-month inquest at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice.

'Reputational damage'

During the inquest, the Scout leader on the trip, Sean Glaister, declined to answer a series of questions from Ben Richmond KC, representing Ben's family.

Mary Carr was named as the assistant Scout leader on the trip.

David Pojur, assistant coroner for North Wales east and central, referred The Scout Association and an employee, who cannot be named by court order, to North Wales Police to investigate for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

But after the inquest, Mr Glaister and Ms Carr applied for a judicial review of the inquest findings of unlawful killing, heard at the High Court in Manchester in December.

Mr Justice Fordham ruled earlier that the coroner Mr Pojur had directed the jury fairly and correctly and rejected the appeal to review the inquest findings.

Ben's mother, Jackie Leonard said: "We need to try to move forward now but with Ben in our hearts always."

At the beginning of the inquest last year, the third after two previous inquests were halted, The Scout Association for the first time publicly apologised and accepted responsibility for Ben's death.

The inquest also heard Ben's family were lied to as The Scout Association was worried about "reputational damage", and Ben's family were told, "people who try and take on the Scouts are never successful" and that "no-one can touch the Scouts".

About 500,000 young people and 145,000 adult volunteers take part in Scouting projects and activities each week, according to the association's own figures.