Ben Leonard died while on a hiking trip in north Wales in 2018
By Oliver Slow & Gavin Thomas
BBC News
Young lives are being put at risk by the Scout Association’s failure to recognise the “inadequacies of their operational practice”, a coroner has found.
The coroner also found the organisation failed to “accept any accountability and understand any proper learning” from the death of Ben Leonard.
Ben, 16, died during a Scout trip to north Wales in August 2018.
The Scouts said it was working on its response to the recommendations.
The organisation previously said it was “committed to learning” and that it has already made changes to its risk assessments as a result of Ben’s death.
Ben, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, was planning to hike up Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, during the trip in August 2018.
However, due to the weather, the group were instead taken to Llandudno in Conwy county to walk up Great Orme.
Ben and two other boys broke away from the main hike and took their own unsupervised route up the hillside – but he slipped off a narrow cliff edge and fell, suffering fatal head injuries.
The inquest into his death found a leader and his assistant responsible for unlawful killing, and neglect by the Scout Association contributed.
The Scouts and an employee – who cannot be named by court order – were also referred to police to investigate for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
In a Prevention of Future of Deaths (PFD) report, published after the main inquiry report, David Pojur, assistant coroner for north-east Wales said those arranging the trip “did not adhere to the Scout Association’s own safety policies”.
Mr Pojur also said that such policies were “not adequately understood at grass roots level”, and that although safety policies existed they were not implemented.
The report added there was “no meaningful discussion between the Scout leaders” regarding the plan for the trip on the Great Orme, and that the leaders did not have a participant list or a list of phone numbers for the boys on the trip.
There was also no route planned for the Great Orme trip, and no instruction or briefing was given to the boys, it found.
“Each of the three leaders assumed the three boys were with one of the leaders when in fact they were not. They were on their own,” it said.
“There was no effective leadership for the group.”
Image source, Family photos
Ben (right) was described by his mother as a “very funny, extremely witty” boy
Mr Pojur was also critical of the Scouts’ response to Ben’s death, saying that there is “not a culture of candour” within the organisation and “the impact that this has on safety and safeguarding”.
He concludes that the association’s “press release within moments of the jury’s conclusion demonstrates a failure of the Scout Association to accept any accountability and understanding any proper learning from Ben’s death”.
“The Scout Association is institutionally defensive,” Mr Pojur said.
Mr Pojur has sent his report to the Scout Association and others, including the education ministers in Wales and England, the children’s commissioners for both countries, the Charity Commission and the Health and Safety Executive.
It makes detailed directions for future training, accountability and safety management within the Scouts.
The named bodies, including the Scouts, have until 18 April to formally respond.
The Scout Association said it was working on a response to the coroner’s recommendations, with “active monitoring from a sub-committee of trustees and oversight by our full board, noting we have 56 days to respond”.
“The full trustee board will also meet regularly on an agreed schedule to ensure they are fully informed as to its progress, and to approve the final version of the association’s response,” a spokesperson said.
