Unlawful killing conclusion considered by scout jury

Ben Leonard died after falling 200ft from a cliff edge

The jury in the inquest of teenage scout Ben Leonard has been told to consider a conclusion of unlawful killing.

The six-week hearing in Manchester has heard how the 16-year-old fell 200ft (60m) to his death in August 2018.

The group was visiting the Great Orme headland in Llandudno during a summer camping trip when Ben, from Stockport, died.

The inquest was told Ben and other scouts had fallen behind and taken their own unsupervised route up the hillside.

The teenager then tried to find his own way back down, slipping on the cliff edge and falling to the road below, suffering fatal head injuries.

The Jury have been told to consider unlawful killing

Assistant Coroner for North East Wales, David Pojur, told the inquest jury there were four options to consider.

He said they must consider whether the actions of the group's Explorer Scout leader Sean Glaister and/or the assistant leader Mary Carr amounted to unlawful killing by gross negligence manslaughter.

He said they could also consider whether neglect by The Scout Association contributed to unlawful killing.

The jury was told if it was unable to reach a conclusion of unlawful killing, then it must return a conclusion of misadventure.

However, the assistant coroner said the jury should also consider whether neglect by either the two scout leaders or The Scout Association played a role in that misadventure.

The inquest continues.