Drayton Manor theme park owners fined £1m after girl, 11, died on rapids ride

The operators of Drayton Manor theme park have been fined £1 million for safety failings which led to the death of an 11-year-old girl.

Evha Jannath, from Leicester, was on the Splash Canyon rapids ride on May 9, 2017, when she was “propelled” into the water.

The tragic youngster had been on an end-of-year trip with friends from Jameah Girls Academy.

Lawyers from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought a prosecution against the park for not properly ensuring the safety of its guests, accusing operators of overseeing “systemic failures of safety” on the river rapids ride.

Sentencing Drayton Manor Theme Parks Ltd at Stafford Crown Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Spencer said: “This was an utterly tragic waste of a young life.”

Bosses of the popular theme park, in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, had admitted breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

James Puzey, representing HSE, told the court of the “devastating impact” on Evha’s family, adding: “She was a bright and promising student who had spoken of wanting to become a teacher herself.”

He also told the court of a case in 2013 where 10-year-old Patrick Treacy fell into the Splash Canyon and had to be rescued by a member of the public.

It was claimed that but for the onlooker intervening, “no one (park staff) would have noticed”.

Records show there were three more incidents of people falling into the water before it was closed following Evha’s tragic death.

On the day she died, prosecutors said the ride operator was “required to do too much” as he was training another member of staff. There was dedicated attendant watching the ride’s CCTV.

Richard Matthews QC, representing the theme park, said operators had co-operated with the HSE investigation fully and had no previous convictions.

Drayton Manor is the fourth largest theme park in the UK and opened in 1950. It is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.