Brother fears another child will die if The Scouts continue to self-regulate
The brother of a 16-year-old boy who died on a Scout trip fears another child will loose their life if the organisation continues to self-regulate.
Ben Leonard fell to his death from the Great Orme at Llandudno during a Reddish Explorer Scout camping weekend in 2018.
An inquest in February 2024 into the death of the teenager, from Stockport, ruled the teenager was unlawfully killed.
The inquest heard that the scout leaders on that trip had not had adequate safety training.
There had been no risk assessment before the trip up The Great Orme and none of the leaders was a qualified first-aider - which meant the trip should not have gone ahead in the first place.
The families of children who died while on organised Scout trips have started a petition calling for a Public Inquiry into the Scout Association.
Ben's brother Tom believes if there is not a public inquiry, and with The Scouts are allowed to continue to regulate themselves, other children may die.
Tom said: "Their entire behaviour throughout this five-and-a-half years was: 'Do you not know who are? How dare you? We're The Scouts'.
"The reality of it all finally hit me two or three weeks ago. The fact that he is dead and the reality of what The Scouts have done. It's a very absurd and horrific situation.
"If nothing gets done now, another child will die. It needs to be looked at from the inside out. It needs pulling apart and looking at under a microscope."
Sharon Collins' son Scott Fanning died in 1998 on a Scout trip. She is supporting the petition for a public inquiry.
Scott was 11 when he went on a camping trip at Ashworth Valley. He went for a morning walk with a group and one leader and fell 60ft down a ravine.
Sharon said: "Currently the Scouts self regulate, so whatever happens, if there's a serious incident a critical incident, they will be responsible to explore and and investigate that incident.
"When things go wrong (on a Scout trip) they can hide it, brush it under the carpet ... when what should happen is that they have a duty of candour"
The first two inquests into Ben's death were halted after The Scout Association withheld evidence.
Coroner David Pojur passed information about the Scouts and one of their employees to North Wales Police who are investigating possible charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Mr Pojur also wrote a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to the Scout Association with his concerns about how they operate in relation to safeguarding children in their care.
Jean Greenfield, the Leonard family's lawyer said: "We need proper oversight here. Children have died and the findings from the inquest: they were just extraordinary.
"Because they've got a Royal Charter they are self-regulating and I just think that has to stop."
A spokesperson for the Scouts Association said: “Keeping young people safe is our top priority.
“We look closely at all incidents to ensure we are creating the safest possible environments for the thousands of young people who take part in Scouts every year.
“We are closely reviewing the coroner’s recommendations and will adopt all further changes we can to prevent such a tragic event happening again.”
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