The Scouts are ‘putting young lives at risk’: Coroner slams group for failing to ‘accept any responsibility’ after teenage boy, 16, fell 200ft to his death over Great Orme

The Scouts have been accused of ‘putting young lives at risk’ after a 16-year-old boy who fell 200ft to his death over a cliff. 

David Pojur, assistant coroner for North Wales east and central, said the Scout Association had failed ‘to accept any accountability’ and were ‘institutionally defensive’ following Ben Leonard’s death in 2018. 

Ben, of Stockport, slipped and fell from a rocky ledge while trying to find an ‘easier way down’ during an unplanned hike on the Great Orme in Llandudno, North Wales during a scouts’ trip in 2018.

He and two friends had wandered off from their main scout group after scout leaders failed to warn them of the dangers of going near cliff edges, an inquest into the tragedy heard. 

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report Mr Pojur said he was ‘concerned’ by the scouts’ ‘general reluctance’ to learn from the incident and prevent future tragedies  from occurring. 

Mr Pojur said : ‘I am concerned that there is not a culture of candour within the Scout Association and the impact that this has on safety and safeguarding.

‘I am also concerned that, whilst the Charity Commission has regulatory oversight, there is no robust regulator who independently and periodically audits and inspects the systems, processes and training of the Scout Association or the granting of permits for adventurous activities, hill walking and Nights Away permits.

‘Further, the Scout Association permit scheme for adventurous activities is exempt from regulation by the Health and Safety Executive.’

‘In this investigation the evidence I have heard leads me to a concern as to a general reluctance by the Scout Association to engage in a meaningful learning exercise to prevent a recurrence of the issues pertaining to Ben’s death.’

Mr Pojur also feared ‘there are other appointed leaders in post who are not suitably competent or qualified in respect of the fundamental issues of safety and safeguarding.’

Mr Pojur claimed: ‘The lives of young people are being put at risk by the Scout Association’s failure to recognise the inadequacies of their operational practice and the part this has played in the death of Ben.’

Mr Pojur added: ‘The Scout Association press release within moments of the jury’s conclusion demonstrates a failure of the Scout Association to accept any accountability and understanding(sic) any proper learning from Ben’s death. The Scout Association is institutionally defensive.’

The Scout Association said in reply it was working on a response to the coroner’s recommendations, with ‘active monitoring from a sub-committee of trustees and oversight by our full board, noting we have 56 days to respond’.

A statement added : ‘The full trustee board will also meet regularly on an agreed schedule to ensure they are fully informed as to its progress, and to approve the final version of the association’s response.’

Ben was on a trip with the Reddish Explorer Scouts from Stockport, Greater Manchester, when he sustained a fatal head injury falling from the beauty spot near Llandudno on August 26 2018.

Ben joined the Beavers aged five and was an avid reader and film buff who planned to study TV and film at college.

His mother Jackie, 54, described him as a ‘thoughtful, very funny, extremely witty’ boy, and claimed the Scout Association tried to portray him as a ‘wild child’, taking a ‘defensive’ attitude and until their apology never accepting being at fault.

The inquest into his death heard Ben’s family were lied to as the Scout Association was worried about ‘reputational damage’.

It heard Ben’s family were told that ‘people who try and take on the Scouts are never successful’ and that ‘no-one can touch the Scouts’ – despite it being apparent from the day of Ben’s death that things had gone ‘horribly wrong’.

The latest inquest heard that Ben and fellow scouts Christopher Gilbert and Alex Jamieson – who had not been given a map or warned about cliffs – became separated from the rest of the party.

One of the three scout leaders, Gareth Williams, was telephoned by a second, Mary Carr, who was ahead of him, asking if he could see Ben and his two friends.

He said he told her: ‘No, I thought they’d be with you.’

Mr Williams then called Sean Glaister, the most senior scout leader on the trip, who then called one of the boys’ mobiles, but they did not pick up so he left a voicemail.

Meanwhile Ben had left his friends – who were trying to head to a café – saying it would be ‘much quicker’ to go another way, the hearing was told.

The inquest jury heard suggestions that Mr Glaister had believed another man, Brian Garraway, group Scout leader, was also going on the trip, only to discover he was not present when he got to their campsite in Snowdonia.

It meant no suitably qualified first aider was present for the trip to the Orme, which broke Scout rules for expeditions, therefore it should not have gone ahead.

Mr Glaister agreed he had not warned any of the Scouts, including Ben, not to leave the paths up the Orme and he was not aware of the dangers of the cliff edges.

The witness agreed The Scout Association never monitored his activities or ensured any training he was supposed to undergo had ever been done.

The inquest at Manchester Civil Justice Court had heard that Ben could have been saved if he had been given ‘basic’ instructions.

In one of the darkest days in the world famous institution’s 114 year history, it now faces the possibility of being prosecuted over its response to Ben’s tragic death.

Coroner David Pojur has referred the Scout Association and an employee who cannot be named for legal reasons to North Wales Police to be investigated for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Around 500,000 young people and 145,000 adult volunteers take part in Scouting projects and activities each week, according to the association’s own figures.

And the devastating death of Ben is not a standalone case. There have been 17 deaths on the trips since 1995, according to The Times.

Scott Collins, 11, fell 60ft down a ravine at Ashworth Valley near Rochdale, during a Scout camp in 1998. He was taken to hospital but died the same day from a brain injury.

Another young boy who died while on a Scout trip was Roy Thornton, which was also ruled as accidental by a coroner.

The 15-year-old boy from Wembley, London, died in the Alps in 1999 after he slipped and fell.

His mother, Janet Hollands, told The Sunday Times that Ben’s case made her realise she should have taken legal advice when her son died, instead of ‘blindly’ trusting that the Scout organisation ‘wanted to change’.

Another child who died while on a Scout trip was Alan Lock, a six-year-old who was afraid of water. The young boy, who could not swim, fell into a river and drowned in 2009.

Alan, who suffered from undiagnosed myocarditis – a condition which can cause symptoms similar to a heart attack – was on a guided walk along the River Stour near Sudbury, Suffolk, when he went missing from a group consisting of 18 Beavers and four adults.