Company charged over girl's theme park death

Feb 22 2008 icWales

The owner of a theme park was summoned to court today following an incident nearly four years ago in which a teenage girl was killed.

Sunday school teacher Hayley Williams was ejected from the top of the spectacular Hydro ride at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, as it began an almost vertical descent into a plunge pool.

The 16-year-old, from Pontypool, South Wales, died of internal injuries following the incident on April 15, 2004.

Martin Rothwell, 10, suffered minor injuries in the incident.

At an inquest in May 2006, Pembrokeshire Coroner Michael Howells ruled out unlawful killing as a possible verdict.

Hayley’s mother, Beverley, stormed out of the proceedings when Mr Howells said he had concluded that the evidence over the course of the four-day inquest did not support a view that death had been as a result of gross negligence.

The Crown Prosecution Service ruled out the possibility of criminal charges in January 2006.

Following the conclusion of its own lengthy investigation, the Health and Safety Executive served a summons on Oakwood Leisure Ltd today for an alleged breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

A hearing has been set at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court for April 10.

The company will answer a charge of failing to “conduct its undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons not in its employment, including Hayley Williams and Martin Rothwell, were not thereby exposed to risks to their health and safety contrary to Section 3 (1) of the said Act whereby it is guilty of an offence by virtue of Section 33 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 and liable to a penalty as provided for by Section 33 (1) (A) of the said Act as amended.”

A spokesman for Oakwood Leisure Ltd declined to comment.