Pontins owner in court on manslaughter charges after death of grandmother

The parent company of Pontins has appeared in court after being charged with corporate manslaughter.

Eighteen people were injured at the holiday park firm's Brean Sands site in Somerset in February 2019 when a 40-metre section of structural ducting and ceiling fell inside an entertainment area. Wendy Jones, a 68-year-old grandmother, was among six people taken to hospital at the time.

She died the following August. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the fallen ceiling sections exposed live damaged electrics.

The parent company, Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, is accused of corporate manslaughter between 1 January 2015 and 21 February 2019, and was charged last month. The charge alleges the company was in "gross breach of its duty to take reasonable care for the safety of Wendy Jones".

It also alleges the company "exposed Wendy Jones to the risk of death from the collapse of the ventilation ducting". Stephen Bennison, 59, from Farington in Lancashire, has been charged with failing to discharge general health/safety duty to a person other than an employee.

That refers to section three of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It is alleged that as a self-employed contractor he "failed to conduct his undertaking" to ensure that "members of the public, including Wendy Jones, were not exposed to risks to their health and safety, namely the risk posed by overloaded ductwork in the Fun Factory".

Read more:Two killed in 11-bike crash on first corner of raceBritish student nurse stabbed to death in Texas Both defendants appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court. District Judge Lynne Matthews sent the case to Bristol Crown Court for trial, where lawyers for the parties will next appear on Friday.

Neither party entered any pleas and Bennison was released on unconditional bail..