Evha Jannath: Drayton Manor faces fine over ride death

Evha Jannath, 11, drowned after entering the water on a rapids ride

A theme park faces a fine of up to £2.5m over safety failings linked to a girl's death on a ride, a court heard.

Evha Jannath was on the Splash Canyon rapids ride at Drayton Manor during a school trip in May 2017 when she was "propelled" into the water.

The 11-year-old, from Leicester, drowned at the site in Tamworth, Staffordshire, magistrates were told.

Prosecuting, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) complained of a "constellation" of failures.

It said the accused, Drayton Manor Park Ltd, had breached Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, relating to failure to ensure the safety of park guests.

At Cannock Magistrates' Court, barristers for the accused indicated it would enter a guilty plea to the single charge faced.

HSE prosecutor Ben Mills said the depth of water Evha entered "was beyond her head height".

He said she was "jolted" into the water before falling while trying to climb a "conveyor belt" which took ride vehicles to the exit.

"It appears she fell from the structure, at some point," Mr Mills said, adding she sustained a chest injury before drowning.

The Splash Canyon ride has remained closed since the death

Mr Mills told the court: "The accident was caused by a constellation of different failures, relating to the safety of the public on the ride.

"The failures were at an organisational level and not levelled at the individuals seeking on the day, no doubt, to do their very best."

It was the HSE's case, Mr Mills said, that failings included "inadequate" signage for those on the ride, "inadequate training" for staff, "an element of under-staffing" and "a lack of emergency planning".

Richard Matthews QC, representing Drayton Manor Park Ltd, said: "The prosecution's allegations of the extent of the failures and nature of them are something that isn't necessarily all agreed."

He added: "It is likely that any sentencing court will have to grapple, in the usual way, with those issues."

Mr Mills said Drayton Manor's latest accounts showed it turned over about £24m in 2019, providing a possible starting point for any fine of £950,000, "with a range of £600,000 to £2.5m".

He also told the court Drayton Manor Park Ltd had gone into administration since Evha's death, and that it was "imperative" any sentencing happened before the company was "formally dissolved".

A coroner hearing an inquest into the death last summer raised six "matters of concern" relating to health and safety procedures, and a verdict of accidental death was reached.

The case was committed for sentencing, with the accused set to appear before Stafford Crown Court at an as yet unspecified date in the new year.