Kieran Brookes death: Ski lift man in court

A ski lift operator has appeared in court in France charged over the death of an English teenager.

Kieran Brookes, 14, from Devon, died after the straps of his backpack became entangled on a ski lift near Geneva.

Lift supervisor Richard Cettour, 50, of Bonnevaux, France and lift company SAEM Sports et Tourisme a Châtel both face one count of indirect manslaughter.

Kieran's father Nick Brookes told the court it had "been a struggle to keep things going since the accident."

The accused faced questions about how the teenager was still wearing his backpack when he got on the lift.

Kieran Brookes was on his first ski trip

Kieran, who went to Torquay Grammar School, was on a six-seat ski lift at Châtel when he tried to climb off at the top of the slope, in February 2011.

SAEM and Mr Cettour are accused of failing to enforce a rule banning skiers from boarding the lift while wearing backpacks, not carrying out daily checks on equipment and not ensuring a safety device which could stop the lift was properly installed.

Mr Cettour is also accused of a number of failings, including not being at his post at the time of the accident and not reacting to other skiers' calls to hit the emergency stop.

Kieran's parents, Nick and Cindy Brookes, from Bovey Tracey, Devon, said they had not realised the extent of his injuries until they travelled to the scene.

The incident happened in the French Alps ski resort of Chatel near Geneva

He was later taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where he died on 17 March 2011.

Kieran's family were in court at Thonon Les Bains, where the case is being heard before three judges, who are expected to deliver a verdict within a month.

Keiran's father Nick Brookes told the court: "More has to be done to stop such a thing ever happening again."

"We have had to live through this every day since the accident. It is a struggle to keep things going. We just want our son and our lives back but I know I can't have that," he said.

Richard Cettour's lawyer Luc Hinterman told the court: "He was doing something that was an ordinary part of his job and could never have imagined that 14 seconds of doing this ordinary thing would result in a death"

It also heard from Thomas Painta, SAEM's lawyer, who said: "The company does not recognise it's criminal guilt, but does recognise civil guilt.

"There is no proof Kieran Brookes had a backpack on when he got on the lift."

The judges will deliberate and are due to give their ruling on 17 November.

The prosecution said they would be seeking a one-year jail term for Richard Cettour and a 75,000 euros (£55,500) fine for SAEM.

A separate civil case against the company's insurers is expected to be heard at a later date in the UK.