Norfolk beach death: Owner admits trampoline safety breaches

Ava-May Littleboy was with family in Gorleston-on-Sea when the tragedy happened

The owner of a beach inflatable has admitted breaching health and safety regulations following the death of a three-year-old girl in 2018.

Ava-May Littleboy was thrown in the air when the inflatable trampoline exploded at Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk.

She suffered a fatal head injury.

Curt Johnson and his company Johnsons Funfair Ltd both indicated guilty pleas to two counts of breaching health and safety laws at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court in Essex.

"The events of 1 July 2018 had, and continue to have, a devastating effect on the parents of Ava-May Littleboy and on the wider close-knit family," said a spokesperson for Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC), which prosecuted the case alongside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

"GYBC and HSE again extend their sympathies and condolences to all of the family of Ava-May Littleboy."

The three-year-old was thrown into the air when the inflatable trampoline exploded

Ava-May, from Lower Somersham in Suffolk, was with family at the beach when she was taken on the trampoline.

Witnesses described her being thrown "higher than a house" when the inflatable burst and that she appeared to be unconscious before she hit the ground.

One other child, aged nine, was on the inflatable but did not sustain "significant physical injury", GYBC said.

Ava-May Littleboy's parents previously described her as a "bright, funny, beautiful girl"

An inquest jury in March 2020 concluded no procedure was in place to safely manage its inflation, that it had not been checked by an independent third party and had no instruction manual.

Parents Nathan Rowe and Chloe Littleboy described a "bright, funny, beautiful girl" and said they hoped "people see the serious risks these attractions can pose".

Risk assessment

Johnson was operations manager of the company at the time, which traded under the name Bounceabout, and the trampoline was imported from its Chinese manufacturer in 2017.

Johnson and Johnsons Funfair Ltd did not obtain safety instructions for the inflatable, did not prepare a specific risk assessment and the trampoline was not certified by the ADIPS scheme - GYBC said.

The two defendants pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The pair will be sentenced pending a two-day Newton hearing due to take place at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on 9 November.

Ava-May's parents said they hoped "people see the serious risks these attractions can pose"