Unlawful killing conclusion open to scout death inquest jury, coroner says

A conclusion of unlawful killing contributed to by neglect can be considered by a jury at the inquest into the death of a teenager who fell 200ft on a Scout expedition, a coroner has said.

Ben Leonard, 16, from Stockport, was on an organised trip with the Reddish Explorer Scouts when he suffered fatal head injuries after falling from cliffs on the Great Orme in North Wales on August 26, 2018.

David Pojur, assistant coroner for North Wales east and central, gave the ten jurors legal directions and a 'route to conclusion' on Monday following eight weeks of evidence. The inquest, which began on January 4, has heard Ben's family were lied to with suggestions the 'approach' initially taken by the Scout Association was to blame the boy for the tragedy amid worries over 'reputational damage' to the organisation.

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Mr Pojur told jurors their job was not to blame any person or organisation, but establish the facts and said four conclusions were available on the evidence.

He said they could conclude the reason for Ben's death was unlawful killing by one or both of the Scout leaders on the trip, Sean Glaister and Mary Carr, contributed to by neglect by The Scout Association.

Two further conclusions open to jurors, Mr Pojur said, were misadventure or misadventure contributed to by neglect by one or both of the Scout leaders on the trip, or by The Scout Association. Jurors are now hearing the evidence summed up by the coroner before they will retire to consider their conclusions.

Mr Glaister, the most senior Scout leader on the trip when Ben fell, declined to answer a series of questions from a lawyer representing Ben’s family during the inquest after Mr Pojur warned