Pair face jail for death of girl, 7, after bouncy castle blew down hill
A HUSBAND and wife who failed to properly secure a bouncy castle in high winds were yesterday found guilty of causing the death of a seven-year-old girl.
Fairground workers William and Shelby Thurston were in charge of the inflatable attraction at an Easter fair when it was ripped from the ground and cartwheeled 1,000ft down a hill with Summer Grant zipped inside.
The schoolgirl had only a few minutes left of her turn but was lifted up to 50ft in the air as her desperate father ran after her screaming: ‘My daughter is on that bouncy castle.’ She suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital.
During a three-week trial, the Thurstons claimed they had been caught out by a freak gust of wind and said the castle’s instructions had been destroyed in an arson attack before Summer’s death.
But a jury convicted them of manslaughter by gross negligence by a majority verdict after hearing they had ignored a severe weather warning and the Circus SuperDome was not safely anchored.
Police complained the castle had been loaded on to a car by the time they arrived, disturbing the crime scene.
William Thurston, 29, glanced at his weeping family as the verdict was returned. His 26-yearold wife showed no emotion.
Both were bailed but face lengthy terms when they return for sentencing next month. The maximum sentence for the offence is life.
Judge Mr Justice Neil Garnham told them: ‘Let me make this crystal clear – all options are open. I shall be seriously considering imprisonment.’
Summer’s family, who had described her as ‘polite and beautiful’, declined to comment afterwards but were said to be ‘pleased’ with the outcome.
Summer’s mother Cara Blackie appeared tearful as she left the courtroom. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Danny Stoten said the Thurstons had acted ‘disgracefully’ adding they ‘held a huge responsibility to ensure the safety of the children that used their rides’.
‘They treated this responsibility with total disregard, putting profit before safety,’ he said. Summer was enjoying a day out with her sister Lily, who was five at the time, and father Lee at the funfair in Harlow, Essex, on March 26, 2016. Witnesses described how they began to fear for their children’s safety on other rides as the weather worsened in the run-up to Storm Katie two days later.
Some attractions were closed down and a woman was nearly struck by a metal barrier that blew over.
However, the Thurstons, of Wilburton, castle, on for operating Cambridgeshire, which they the charged bouncy carried £3 for ten minutes.
Summer, who lived with her sister and mother in Norwich, was visiting her father in Essex when she was killed. She was the only child on the ride when it was carried away. The inflatable should not have been operated when there were gusts over 19mph. But the court was told they had been up to 40mph at the time of the accident. It was lashed to the ground with just 17 tethers, seven short of the legal requirement. Giving evidence, Mrs Thurston claimed she was unaware she was ‘putting anyone in danger’. She added: ‘A day doesn’t go by when I don’t beat myself up.’ But she admitted assessing weather conditions by ‘using my common sense and my experience’ and that it was ‘not an exact science’. Asked if he blamed himself, Mr Thurston said: ‘I do feel a sense of responsibility, yes. ‘The simple fact is we could have taken the bouncy castle down sooner.’
‘They put profit before safety’