Bouncy castle death

Pair jailed over tragedy

Two fairground workers responsible for the “entirely preventable” death of a seven-year-old girl who died after being blown away in a bouncy castle they did not properly secure have been jailed for three years.

Summer Grant was killed after a gust of wind lifted the inflatable from its moorings and sent it “cartwheeling” 300 metres down a hill at an Easter fair in Harlow, Essex, an earlier trial at Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

William Thurston, 29, and Shelby Thurston, 26, were both found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The couple, of Whitecross Road, Wilburton, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, were also found guilty of a health and safety offence following the incident on March 26 2016.

They were sentenced to a further 12 months’ imprisonment for that offence, to run concurrently.

Sentencing them, Mr Justice Garnham said the couple “took the most monumental risk with children’s lives by continuing to allow children on the bouncy castle”.

He also called on the Health and Safety Executive to take the steps necessary to make it compulsory for fairground operators to have proper wind-speed measuring equipment.

Reading a victim impact statement yesterday, Summer’s mother Cara Blackie described how she screamed when she heard the news of her daughter’s death.

Summer’s father Lee Grant told the trial he turned to see the bouncy castle in the air after he heard a scream, and said “my daughter’s in there”.

He said he gave chase but could not catch the inflatable.

Summer was rescued from within the bouncy castle and taken to hospital where she died from her injuries.

“Took the most monumental risk with children’s lives”

VICTIM: Summer Grant, 7, died after the bouncy castle she was playing in blew away in strong winds