
Pontins parent company accused of corporate manslaughter
The parent company of Pontins holiday parks has appeared in court charged with corporate manslaughter after part of a ceiling at a resort collapsed on guests six years ago.
Eighteen people were injured at the Brean Sands site in Somerset in February 2019 when a 40-metre section of structural ducting and ceiling fell inside an entertainment area.
Grandmother Wendy Jones, 68, was among six people taken to hospital following the incident.
She died in August 2019.
Pontins' parent company, Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, has been accused of corporate manslaughter between January 1 2015 and February 21 2019.
The charge alleges the company 'managed and organised its activities in such a way so as to cause the death of Wendy Jones in that exposed Wendy Jones to the risk of death from the collapse of the ventilation ducting, which was positioned at height in the Fun Factory at its Brean Sands site, in gross breach of its duty to take reasonable care for the safety of Wendy Jones as an organisation carrying out activities on a commercial basis and as an occupier of premises'.
Stephen Bennison, 59, of Farington, Lancashire, has been charged with failing to discharge general health/safety duty to a person other than an employee under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 between January 1 2015 and February 21 2019.
The charge alleges he 'being self-employed within the meaning of the Health and Safety at Work Act failed to conduct his undertaking, namely as a contractor carrying out sound-prodding work at Pontins Brean Sands in such a way as to ensure so far as reasonably practicable that persons not being his employees and who may be affected thereby, namely members of the public, including Wendy Jones, were not exposed to risks to their health and safety, namely the risk posed by overloaded ductwork in the Fun Factory'.
The two defendants appeared before Bristol Magistrates' Court where District Judge Lynne Matthews sent the case to Bristol Crown Court for trial, where they will next appear on June 9.
They did not enter any pleas to the respective charges they face.
Bennison was released on unconditional bail.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed at the time it had been called to reports of a section of ducting collapsing into the bar area of a building at the holiday park.
It said approximately 40 metres of structural ducting and ceiling sections had fallen, exposing live damaged electrics.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dad-of-three crushed to death under crane lift as builders try to save him
Hakan Yakisan was working as a plasterer on a building site when the steel cable of a cargo lift snapped and crushed him, with his workmates unable to save him before help arrived A family has been left in mourning after a father died in a tragic workplace freak accident. The father of three is set to have his funeral today after he lost his life while on the job, while a massive investigation is underway by the authorities. Hakan Yakisan, 46, was a professional plasterer, and was working on a building site at the time of his death on May 12. The dad was caught under a cargo lift, which fell on top of him while dangling above and crushed him. The heavy lift was used to hoist bricks up to the higher floors on the site, but its steel cable snapped and killed him instantly when the weight hit. Other builders on the site in Aybasti, Turkey, rushed to try to save Yakisan from beneath the equipment, but the heavy lift couldn't be moved from man power alone. Paramedics responded to the scene, but declared Yakisan dead before they reached the local Aybasti State Hospital. The plasterer underwent an autopsy, with his body returned to his bereaved family for the planned funeral today. Now, Turkish police and figures from the Ministry of Labour are investigating the incident, and trying to figure out how the steel cable of the cargo lift snapped to take Yakisan's life. The outlet reports that building sites in Turkey are incredibly dangerous, with 152 workers dying on the job in April alone. While Turkey might have a particular issue with unsafe building sites, a very similar case occurred in the UK when a mother - completely unattached to any building work - was caught in tragedy in east London. In March 2018, Michaela Boor was walking past a construction site on Burdett Road in Bethnal Green when she was killed on the pavement. A pallet containing more than two tonnes of bricks fell 70ft from a crane and landed on the young mum, who was just 28 at the time. Other Londoners who saw the incident gave her CPR to keep her alive until the air ambulance arrived and rushed her to hospital. Despite the care, Boor died just two days later after her 29th birthday had passed. Years later, the building company and four men have been charged with manslaughter, and are due at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 16. The Metropolitan Police said Higgins Homes Plc, a construction company that develops and builds properties across London and the south east, was charged by postal requisition on Wednesday, May 7. Crane operator McInnes and site manager Anstis were charged on May 8, while crane supervisor Maan and Coulson, who was responsible for compiling the lifting plan for the site, were charged on April 30. Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division, said in part of a statement: "Higgins Homes Plc has been charged with corporate manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work Act offence, while Thomas Anstis, 68, Stephen Coulson, 68, Dawood Mann, 59, and Alexander McInnes 32, have each been charged with a single count of gross negligence manslaughter and offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.'


ITV News
13-05-2025
- ITV News
Nursery owner appears in court in connection with death of a 14-month-old boy
A nursery worker and a business owner have appeared before magistrates charged in connection with the death of a 14-month-old boy. Nursery worker Kimberley Cookson and business owner Deborah Latewood both saw the case against them transferred to Wolverhampton Crown Court, after a seven-minute hearing at Dudley Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. Cookson, aged 22, did not enter a formal plea to the gross negligence manslaughter of Noah Sibanda, who died after an incident at Dudley's Fairytales Day Nursery on December 9th 2022. The firm which ran the now-closed nursery, based in Bourne Street, has also been charged with one count of corporate manslaughter, including an alleged failure to ensure that children in the baby room were put down to sleep in a safe way. Deborah Latewood, aged 54, and the company also face a charge of failing to comply with a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that Noah and others were not exposed to risk between November 29th and December 9th 2022. The corporate manslaughter charge alleges that Noah was unlawfully killed in that the nursery failed to take reasonable care by 'failing to ensure that children in the baby room would be put down to sleep in a safe way' and also failed to ensure staff doing so were adequately trained and supervised. The charge also alleges that the 'breach of duty fell far below what could have been reasonably be expected in the circumstances' and 'was a substantial cause of the death of Noah'. The court heard formal pleas could not be entered to either manslaughter or corporate manslaughter at the magistrates' court, with the offences only triable on a Crown Court indictment. Deborah Latewood made no indication of plea on behalf of herself of the company. Magistrates granted unconditional bail to the defendants, who are both from Dudley, and ordered them to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on June 10th.


Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Young mum dies on her birthday after two tonnes of bricks fall on her from crane
Michaela Boor was killed when a pallet of bricks weighing more than two tonnes fell from a crane on a building site in Bethnal Green, East London as a developer and four men face manslaughter charges A young woman was killed after a pallet containing more than two tonnes of bricks fell 70ft from a crane as she walked past a building site, as a developer and four men now face manslaughter charges over the death. Michaela Boor died in the tragedy in March 2018 when she walked along the pavement on the corner of Burdett Road in Bethnal Green, East London and passers-by rushed to help the young mum. They performed CPR until the air ambulance arrived on the scene and rushed Kayla to hospital where she turned 29 while she was fighting for life in hospital, but died two days later. Higgins Homes Plc is accused of corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence. Thomas Anstis, 68, Stephen Coulson, 68, Dawood Mann, 59, and Alexander McInnes 32, are accused of one count of gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety offence and are due at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 16. Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division, said: "Following a review of the evidence from the Metropolitan Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), we have authorised criminal charges against a company and four individuals in relation to the death of 30-year-old Michaela Boor in 2018. "Ms Boor died after being struck by falling bricks as she walked on the pavement past a building site on the corner of Burdett Road in Bow, east London, on March 27 2018. "Higgins Homes Plc has been charged with corporate manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work Act offence, while Thomas Anstis, 68, Stephen Coulson, 68, Dawood Mann, 59, and Alexander McInnes 32, have each been charged with a single count of gross negligence manslaughter and offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.' The Metropolitan Police said Higgins Homes Plc, a construction company that develops and builds properties across London and the south east, was charged by postal requisition on Wednesday, May 7. Crane operator McInnes and site manager Anstis were charged on May 8, while crane supervisor Maan and Coulson, who was responsible for compiling the lifting plan for the site, were charged on April 30. Specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police continue to support Michaela's family, the force said.