Ben Leonard: No face to face planning before fatal trip, inquest told

Ben Leonard received his GCSE results days before his death

A leader of an outing on which a scout died has told an inquest there was "no face to face" planning beforehand.

Ben Leonard fell 200ft (61m) from the Great Orme in Llandudno during a hike in August 2018.

The 16-year-old and two friends became separated from the group and took another route, resulting in Ben slipping off a ledge.

Scout leaders previously told the inquest they accepted responsibility for his death.

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Gareth Williams, who was an assistant section leader for the 1st/4th Reddish Scouts at the time, told the inquest in Manchester he had been asked to go on the trip by Sean Glaister, a leader with the Reddish Explorers.

The 31-year-old had been sent an email by Mr Glaister with the planned itinerary for the two-day trip, but said he had not been given any maps, risk assessments or documentation.

When asked by the inquest barrister if he understood what his responsibilities were meant to have been, he said "just another pair of hands" with no defined role.

He told the inquest jury he did not think Mr Glaister had been to the Swallow Falls camp in Eryri before and was not aware there had been any "recce" of the area or any of the places the group was due to visit.

Mr Williams, who left the Scout Association in 2020, said he did not believe he had outstanding introductory training to complete at the time of the trip, neither did he believe his role as assistant section leader had been provisional.

The Great Orme in Llandudno, where Ben Leonard fell to his death

He was also asked about his understanding of the term "in loco parentis", namely having responsibilities for children in the absence of their parents or guardians.

He said he knew what it meant because of the inquest process, but added that he "didn't think that was in my mind" at the time.

He told the court that Mr Glaister was a "nice guy" and "enthusiastic", and believed her had been "the leader in charge" that weekend.

"It was his trip," said Mr Williams.

The original plan for the two-day camp had been to hike up Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, but that was changed to the Great Orme due to a forecast for heavy rain and high winds.

The hearing continues.