Ben Leonard, 16, from Reddish, Stockport, Greater Manchester, who died on August 26, 2018, after falling from the Great Orme in Llandudno, north Wales, on a Scout trip(Image: MEN Media)

'Our son fell 200ft and died on a Scouts trip but people tried to make out it was his own fault'

by · Wales Online

A mum whose son tragically died during a Scout trip to Wales is still angry as over six years later she feels those held responsible still, "don't think they've done anything wrong". Ben Leonard, a 16-year-old from Reddish, fell a horrifying 200ft at the Great Orme in Llandudno.

During the trip, he took a different path with two other friends while unsupervised, ending up on a ledge and loosing his footing. The promising student had just received positive GCSE results from Denton Community College and was set to pursue film-making at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays, but his dreams were cut short by the tragic incident.

After a two-month inquest at the Manchester Civil Courts of Justice, a jury concluded that Ben was unlawfully killed by the most senior Scout Leader on the trip, Sean Glaister, and an assistant Scout leader, Mary Carr, and that neglect from the The Scout Association contributed as well. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here

Ben Leonard was just 16 when he died(Image: MEN Media)

However, the ordeal was not over for Ben's family and his mother Jackie, as Mr Glaister and Ms Carr applied for a judicial review of the inquest findings. The Scout Association said it did not request a judicial review and claimed it had implemented a, "significant number of changes to improve our safety policies and procedures" post the tragedy.

Yesterday, January 30, Mr Justice Fordham ruled that the coroner had directed the jury fairly and correctly, while dismissing the appeal to review the inquest's findings.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News after the ruling, Jackie expressed her belief that the Scout Association was "still not facing the facts" regarding her son's death.

She said: "This has been a part of our lives now for six-and-a-half years. Going to court, having the pain dragged up again and people all trying to blame him. We are relieved it's over, but it will be strange not having to go back into a court room again because it's all we've known. We've had to sit by and let all this happen, and it's been incredibly difficult and painful. We have been powerless."

Last year, in February, a jury gave their conclusion at an inquest into Ben's death. The findings were delivered at the third and final inquest, after two earlier ones had been aborted. The inquest was told of allegations that Ben's family were lied to, with suggestions that the 'approach' taken initially by The Scout Association was to blame Ben for the tragedy amid worries of 'reputational damage' to the organisation.

Sean Glaister, the Scout leader on the trip, declined to answer a series of questions from Ben Richmond KC, lawyer for Fieldfisher, the law firm representing Ben's family, during the inquest.

After evidence was given for two months, the Jury returned the conclusion that Ben had been unlawfully killed by the most senior Scout leader on the trip, and an assistant Scout leader - Mary Carr - and that this was contributed to by neglect by The Scout Association. The coroner also requested the police to investigate The Scout Association for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Ben's mother Jackie(Image: PA)

The jury decided that before the walk up Great Orme, there was 'no brief, instructions or risk assessment'. Ben and two others broke off from the main group and went along a different path up the rock but one of the leaders 'did not give any instructions to regroup or stay on the safe path', according to the jury.

The jury added that Ben and two other scouts were 'left unsupervised' as they walked to the cliff edge. The jury concluded that Ben 'thought he could see a quicker way down the Orme and attempted to follow animal tracks down the cliff edge. During his descent, Ben slipped and fell from the cliff.' He died of a head injury.

Coroner David Pojur disclosed that he had written a 'prevention of further deaths' report which outlined a series of failures identified, which included, as the inquest heard, that there was 'no effective leadership' in the group that day and that The Scout Association had given a 'misleading impression' of its actions after the death.

After the inquest concluded, Jackie had previously said: "It was just such a relief. It was like we had been finally vindicated, if you like. There have been times when people tried to make out it was Ben's own fault, so it was just such a massive relief."

Previously, during the commencement of last year’s inquest, the Scout Association extended a public apology and acknowledged its liability in Ben's death.

Jackie is now actively engaged in advocacy with three other families who have lost sons under Scouts' supervision. Between 1995 and 2018, Lee Craddock aged 11, Scott Fanning 11, and Jack Saunders, 21, all died while participating in Scouting excursions.

The Scout Association reports that approximately 500,000 youngsters and 145,000 adult volunteers engage weekly in its Scouting endeavours.

Jackie remarked: "I know Scout leaders who are good and do what they should. The Scouts in general are people who do amazing work and we don't want to see them disbanded, but all we want is for children to be safe and looked after. Who is checking these safety policies and procedures? They are looking after half a million children and I believe they should be regulated by an outside body. Nobody should ever have to go through what we've been through."

In response, The Scout Association released a statement saying: "The safety and wellbeing of young people in our care is the number one priority at The Scouts. We did not ask for the judicial review that took place in December, 2024, or pay for the legal fees of the leaders who sought the judicial review. We remain firmly committed to the actions we set out in our response to the Coroner's PFD report from the inquest in April, 2024. As a result of this work we have already made a significant number of changes to improve our safety policies and procedures. We will be publishing the third update on this work in February."

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