A UK inflatable beach owner will serve six months in prison over the death of a toddler who died when one of his devices exploded and sent him flying 40ft into the air.
Curt Johnson, 52, operations manager of Johnson Funfair Ltd., was sentenced on Friday after previously pleading guilty to two counts of breaching health and safety laws, the BBC reported.
Johnson was involved in the death of Ava-May Littleboy, 3, who was in one of Johnson’s inflatables in Gorleston-on-Sea on July 1, 2018 when it exploded, sending her “‘higher than the house'” into the air and resulting in fatal head injuries , explained the outlet.
In 2020, an inquest jury found that there was no procedure in place to manage the trampoline’s inflation, and that it was also not checked by a third party and had no instruction manual.
Ava-May Littleboy, 3, died on July 1, 2018.iTV News
District judge Christopher Williams ruled this week that Johnson was “willfully blind to the risks” by failing to ensure the inflatable had safety checks, and that the trampoline “should not have been used,” the Great Yarmouth Mercury explained.
“I reflect on the suffering and pain the family is going through,” the judge said on Friday.
“Finally a child has lost their life because of a failure on your part. “This is such a serious case that I have to conclude a deterrent sentence is necessary.”
The tragic incident caused the child to fly “higher than the house,” said the witness. 9 News
Johnson was unresponsive when he was taken away, the BBC said.
His lawyer, Oliver Campbell KC, said that Johnson and his wife were “deeply sorry” for the toddler’s death.
“He sincerely apologizes to the court and the family for his failure,” he said, adding that Johnson Funfair “ceased trading some time ago and will not trade again.”
The little boy’s parents were present at the sentencing. 9News
Johnson attempted to kill himself in 2018, and had suffered from depression and received threats related to the high-profile case, Campbell alleged.
Littleboy’s parents, Nathan Rowe and Chloe Littleboy, wiped away tears after the sentencing, the Great Yarmouth Mercury reported.
“It’s amazing as a parent that so many people care about your child,” Rowe told the outlet.
“It’s amazing how one little girl can impact so many lives. I read his eulogy and it was my only chance to pay tribute to him and his short life. I don’t know of any other father who has had to do this.”
In addition to Johnson’s sentence, he was barred from being a company director for five years and Johnson Funfair was fined $24,432.50.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
